The Carolina Panthers are two days away from their second of three preseason games this summer. And yet, they still haven’t named themselves a starter under center.
That didn’t change after Wednesday’s joint practice with the New England Patriots, as head coach Matt Rhule kept up the status quo of his ongoing quarterback competition to reporters. When asked if he’s any closer to a decision between Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, he didn’t budge.
“I think the thing I’ve said all along is, ya know, I wanted to at least get to this point—when we know, we know,” he said. “It could be at any point. It could be two more weeks from now, it could be now. I know that’s not the answer you guys want and I’m not saying it’s two weeks from now. I’m just saying we’re just making sure we’re thorough.
“Coming off the field like this, we’ll make sure you always watch the tape and see where we are. We have a really good plan. We’re not winging it. We have a really good plan. And I just sometimes don’t feel at liberty to share it out of respect for the guys.”
Well, they’re not winging it. At least that’s good to hear, right?
Regardless, a choice is certainly looming—especially with both passers reportedly sharing some suboptimal chemistry with their pass catchers this week. The sooner a decision is made, the sooner the starter gets more reps with the first team.
But if this continues to drag out, perhaps Mayfield or Darnold will be winging it come Week 1.
