Report: Baker Mayfield expected to be named Panthers starting quarterback Week 1

The Carolina Panthers are expected to name Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback for their Week 1 matchup vs. the Cleveland Browns, according to a report from Jeff Howe of The Athletic on Wednesday night. The team has not officially named a starting quarterback yet, but they’re expected to name Mayfield as the starter at some point in the future.

It’s been perhaps one of the worst kept secrets from all of the observers watching Panthers’ training camp for the past few weeks. Plenty of people have said that Mayfield has been ahead in the quarterback race for quite some time, and it hasn’t been close.

The expectation since the Panthers brought in Mayfield was that he was going to be their starting quarterback over Sam Darnold. And it looks like that’s what’s going to happen, whenever the team officially announces the move.

Mayfield and Darnold’s performances in first preseason game

On Saturday, Mayfield and Darnold were able to battle it out for the starting job in live action. The Panthers played in their preseason opener against the Washington Commanders, coming away with a narrow 23-21 victory.

Following the game, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule broke down what he saw from Mayfield and Darnold, saying that both were effective.

“I have to really watch the tape to see exactly what they did, but I thought they were both in command. They made the right checks, so I was pleased,” Rhule said.

Mayfield got the start on Saturday, though Darnold played early on as well. Mayfield led the Panthers on a 13-play, 54-yard drive that spanned across nearly six minutes and resulted in a field goal on the team’s first offensive possession.

After the Commanders fumbled late in the first quarter, Darnold saw his first action deep into Washington territory. He threw two passes with the short field, the last of which was caught for an eight-yard touchdown. Darnold also led the offense in the next drive, which resulted in a three and out.

The Panthers hit the road for another preseason road trip on Friday, August 19 when they head to New England to take on the Patriots. Kickoff for that one is slated for 7:00 PM EST. The game will be televised on NFL Network.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner also contributed to this article.