It’s Baker Mayfield vs. Sam Darnold at Panthers training camp. Is Matt Corral a factor?
Panthers quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold again shared first first-team reps at Carolina’s fourth training camp practice.
The team practiced inside Gibbs Stadium at Wofford College as part of the NFL’s Back Together celebration, where fans filled the bleachers to watch Mayfield compete against Darnold.
The Charlotte Observer has been tracking the quarterback battle. Darnold won Day 1 and 3 while Mayfield took Day 2. Who performed best on the Panthers’ last practice before the pads come on Monday?
Surprisingly, backup quarterbacks Matt Corral and P.J. Walker are co-winners.
Walker led his unit to the offense’s lone touchdown during a red-zone session by connecting with undrafted free agent Ra’Shaun Henry on a 20-yard post-corner route. Players and fans erupted in celebration for the highlight play.
But all eyes are on Corral. Fans cannot get enough of the third-round rookie quarterback. During warm-ups, Corral went 4-for-4 during a bucket drill, where the quarterbacks dropped back from 11 yards outside the end zone and aimed for a tall black hoop underneath the goal posts. Darnold, Mayfield and Walker all missed more attempts than they made. Corral was nothing but net.
He earned some increased reps during the team’s red-zone segment, working with Terrace Marshall, Shi Smith and Rashard Higgins.
“We just have more reps for the threes today,” Rhule said after practice.” “We just try to make sure we have more reps. (Matt) and P.J. are still splitting them all. P.J. had that great touchdown throw. but we just want to make sure that we keep alternating.”
The alternating continued for Darnold and Mayfield, too. Both settled for field goals during the red zone session after stalling out inside the 5. It was another up-and-down day for Mayfield. He struggled with accuracy and timing with Christian McCaffrey during an early seven-on-seven rep. He also had a touchdown dropped by Chuba Hubbard. Had Hubbard made the catch, the defense would’ve run sprints to conclude practice. Instead, the offense failed to convert a fourth-down try and ran sprints as a consequence.
Here is a closer look at the day Mayfield and Darnold had.
Sam Darnold
Stats in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 (unofficial): 12 of 17, 2TD, Int
Darnold began practice with four straight completions. All four were throws under 5 yards, but he moved the chains, ending his first team segment with a short touchdown to tight end Jared Scott.
He showed consistent chemistry with Smith, who made a leaping over-the-middle catch during seven-on-seven. But Darnold did not attempt more than one pass over 12 yards. After pushing the ball downfield Friday, he was back to his conservative ways.
His short throws sometimes move the chains. Other times it’s not enough. Darnold picked up one first down during his only red-zone session. But his unit settled for three points after a third-down pass was batted at the line of scrimmage.
Best throw: His touchdown to Smith impressed fans at Gibbs Stadium. Darnold dropped back from 8 yards out and zipped a pass over the middle that Smith pulled out of the air.
Notable mistake: Darnold threw an interception to safety Jeremy Chinn during the team blitz session. The ball was intended for DJ Moore, who opened briefly on a corner route. But Chinn jumped the route and tip-toed the left sideline.
Baker Mayfield
Stats in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 (unofficial): 7 of 18, TD, Int
Mayfield did not have a sharp practice, but his teammates did not help him out much, either.
Hubbard and Tommy Tremble each dropped would-be touchdowns to end practice. Tremble’s drop — a tightly contested short-out route at the goal line — came on fourth down and ended practice. If either player catches the ball then Mayfield’s day looks better.
During the same session, Mayfield connected over the middle with slot receiver C.J. Saunders on third down. He fell short of the sticks. On the next play, Mayfield converted by hitting McCaffrey on a short angle route out of the backfield. Those were his only completions on an eight-play drive.
Anderson also should’ve scored on the drive’s second play. He beat Donte Jackson on a wheel route. Mayfield placed the ball well, but Jackson recovered and broke it up with his outstretched right hand. Jackson versus Anderson is quickly becoming as entertaining as the quarterback battle.
Mayfield flashed at times. He hit Higgins twice during the team’s blitz segment. Both catches were examples of their chemistry together. Mayfield placed one ball low and away for Higgins, keeping him away from traffic as he made the 15-yard catch.
There are still too many hold-your-breath moments from Mayfield. He threw an interception to defensive lineman Darryl Johnson when a blitz disrupted his dropback. Mayfield probably would’ve been sacked. But there was no whistle and Mayfield threw a confusing ball up for grabs.
Rhule continues not to worry about Mayfield’s performance. After practice he said he cannot really evaluate him fairly until the pads are on. Carolina practices in full shells and pants on Monday.
Best throw: Mayfield hit Higgins on a deep 15-yard in route early in practice. The completion came on third-down as Mayfield faced a heavy blitz. Feeling the pressure, he reworked his feet and hit Higgins on his outside shoulder for a big gain.
Notable mistake: Another interception from Mayfield. It’s his second consecutive practice with a turnover.
Who won the day: Though four days, Corral and Walker are afterthoughts in the Panthers’ quarterback competition. During the first seven-on-seven session, Mayfield and Darnold got eight reps each. Corral and Walker earned two each.
However, they made inroads on Day 4. The rookie and veteran are making the most of their limited chances. Corral is going to need more opportunities if he’s going to sneak into the competition, but for one day, he and Walker were winners.
Total wins this preseason
Sam Darnold 2
Baker Mayfield 1
P.J. Walker/Matt Corral 1
This story was originally published July 30, 2022 at 3:32 PM with the headline "It’s Baker Mayfield vs. Sam Darnold at Panthers training camp. Is Matt Corral a factor?."
