Breer on the Mayfield decision...
The Panthers’ decision should be easier. And I think it’ll come before, not after, this week’s game against the Bills. Maybe even Monday. There won’t be any surprises. Baker Mayfield has pretty clearly been the best quarterback in camp, and for a number of different reasons. One big one came on the only possession he’s played over Carolina’s first two preseason games. On the fifth snap of that 13-play, 54-yard drive that ended in a field goal, a second-and-9 from the 50, Mayfield got the ball from the shotgun and quickly moved through what was in front of him. First read? Covered. Second read? Not there. Boom, ball’s out to the third guy in the progression, fullback Giovanni Ricci, for six yards underneath to get Carolina into a manageable third-and-3. That’s the sort of routine play the Panthers weren’t making as much last year, and that was the idea in getting Mayfield in the first place—that he could bring them at least league-average quarterback play.
And on that snap, a nondescript one, to be sure, Mayfield showed field vision, an ability to process quickly and an awareness for the situation. No one would look at that throw and say, “field general,” but that’s just what Mayfield was in the moment. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be a superstar this year. Just means he’s got a shot to be pretty good, and Carolina thinks that’ll be good enough to get a promising young roster to take a big step. And Mayfield has also acquitted himself well with his teammates and coaches, which is the clincher here. The coaches sent him the playbook in early July during a no-contact period, and when he reported a couple weeks later, they were really impressed with the grasp he’d gained for a complex scheme without anyone else’s help. He’s also shown humility coming out of a rocky exit from Cleveland, and he’s been respectful in entering a quarterback room, melding quickly with Sam Darnold and Matt Corral, even though they were all competing for the same thing. So you add that stuff to what Mayfield’s shown in camp in the way of processing and instincts and field vision? And yeah, that decision is coming really soon.
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