CHARLOTTE, N.C. — By trading with the Cleveland Browns for quarterback Baker Mayfield on Thursday, Carolina instantly adds competition to its quarterback room of Sam Darnold, PJ Walker, rookie Matt Corral and the undrafted rookie Davis Cheek. In exchange for Mayfield, the Panthers agreed to trade a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick; that pick becomes a fourth-round selection if he plays around 70% of offensive snaps this season.
Mayfield and Darnold — who were the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in the 2018 draft — will enter training camp with an open competition at quarterback, according to a league source. With Darnold and Mayfield battling for first-team reps, expectations for Corral should be lowered while Walker and Cheeks are both likely training camp cuts. (Unless the Panthers decide to carry four quarterbacks, which would help Walker.) Cheeks will garner practice squad interest.
The team has no plans to cut Darnold, who is guaranteed $18.98 million this season, and has not explored trading him, according to a league source.
