Between the early report from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport and what actually happened on the field right after it, Monday felt like a very big win for Baker Mayfield in the Carolina Panthers’ quarterback competition. But as far as offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is concerned, this competition is far from over.
Prior to Tuesday’s practice, McAdoo hit the podium for the first time in quite some time. So, naturally, he was peppered with questions about the team’s ever popular battle under center.
He began by making one thing clear—that they’re giving every guy, no matter the position, a fair chance to compete.
“Those guys, they’re out there battlin’. They’re out there competin’,” he said in kicking off his media availability. “Right now, the last thing we wanna do is be instant evaluators, right? So we wanna give everybody an opportunity to go out there and put their best football on tape and then we’ll let it play itself out.”
Mayfield put some of his best football, or at least some of his best throws, on tape yesterday. Save for an underwhelming finish in two-minute drills, the fifth-year passer made a few eye-opening plays—specifically ones to wideout Robbie Anderson and tight end Tommy Tremble.
As for Sam Darnold’s day, the 25-year-old had to shrug off erroneous rumors of a potential trade out of town while fighting for his job. And that, in a nutshell, is exactly what McAdoo and the Panthers probably don’t want.
“First of all, what I talked to the offense about when we first got together was I think it’s important we all have respect—because we have position battles everywhere,” he added. “This is normal. It’s just probably abnormal at the quarterback position, right? But we talked about respect is important, empathy is important. You have to be just.”
We’ll soon see how this competition literally plays out, as the Panthers are set to lock up with the Washington Commanders for their first preseason tilt on Saturday.
