How the QB situation looks for the Panthers in 2022

The Carolina Panthers are an interesting team going into the 2022 NFL season.

After a disappointing 5-12 record in 2021, commentators are slightly pessimistic about their chances this year.

The Panthers have gone four consecutive years with a losing season. But there is talent across the board on the team, which were backed up by some solid picks in the draft back in April. 

Their most glaring problem that they have yet to figure out to this point is at the quarterback position.

Career-defining year for Sam Darnold

Last season the Panthers traded with the Jets to acquire Sam Darnold. They hoped he would be the savior of the franchise after a difficult previous three years in New York. 

Those hopes quickly died after the first couple of weeks. It was more of the same play from Darnold as it was in New York. 

Darnold has a lot to prove in 2022, his fifth NFL season. He’s the current favorite to start in Week One against the Cleveland Browns but that could all change.

After an offseason where the Panthers tried and failed to go after star quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, Darnold knows he’s not the preferred scenario in Carolina.

For him, it might not be about whether this is his long-term home. It’s his make-or-break year as an NFL starter, and the consequences are huge if he fails.

Head Coach Matt Rhule said in May: “I think Sam’s very, very focused. What that means, we’ll have to wait and see every day on the field. But you can see that he’s worked.”

With the return of stars like Christian McCaffrey from injury, and the appointment of a new offensive coordinator in Ben McAdoo in Charlotte, Darnold could be in a much better place than he was a year ago.

McAdoo, who has worked with the likes of Aaron Rodges and Eli Manning, could do wonders for the former USC product’s career.

Elsewhere, the Panthers brought back Cam Newton in 2021, hoping that he would be back to form from his 2011-2016 days as a Panther. That quickly turned to a disaster as well. 

There are still rumors out there that they are willing to re-sign the former MVP on a team friendly deal to have him compete for the starting position. But given he’ll be 34 when the new season starts, he’s definitely not their long-term guy.

All in all, the Panthers experiments at quarterback in 2021 massively failed. They need to improve at the position this year, or face another plummeting season.

Alternatives for Panthers in 2022

The 2022 NFL Draft featured a quarterback class that was lackluster in talent by many draft analysts, the Panthers were rumored to go for either Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett in the first round. Instead, they waited until the later rounds and drafted Matt Corral out of Ole Miss. 

Corral was one of the best quarterbacks in college football the last two years. After a devastating leg injury late in the year, some doubted that he could come back as strong as he was at Ole Miss. 

As of now, the quarterback depth chart for the Panthers has four on the team. Darnold and Corral, as well as PJ Walker, and Davis Cheek. It is projected that the Panthers will keep three quarterbacks going into the 2022 season. This is likely to be Darnold, Corral, and Walker. 

There have been many talks of Baker Mayfield being traded to the Panthers from the Browns, but the Panthers want the Browns to pay the majority of his salary before they trade for him, which is a smart business move. 

Mayfield will only be traded to the Panthers if the Browns are that desperate to get him off the roster before training camp. Pay certainly seems to be a major obstacle.

I expect to see action from all quarterbacks this season as the Panthers find their starter. Carolina have plenty of weapons to work with Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, and one of the top underrated receivers in the league DJ Moore on the outside. Robby Anderson and Terrance Marshall Jr. are also viable target options.

This will be one of the more intriguing position battles in the NFL, as it’s any of those quarterbacks’ jobs to lose. 

So which QB will steal the show in Charlotte? Let’s wait and see who, if anyone, will step up in 2022.