5 major observations from Day 3 of Panthers 2022 mandatory minicamp
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold remains Carolina Panthers QB1 (for now)
After a rocky start from Sam Darnold on Thursday, the quarterback responded well to leave a positive mark once again. This is something that fans saw plenty from the signal-caller soon after his trade from the New York Jets, but it didn’t translate to production in a competitive setting during a disastrous first campaign under center.
If the Carolina Panthers had any confidence whatsoever in Darnold, they wouldn’t have batted their eyelids at every available signal-caller in the trade market without success this spring. It’s also the reason why a potential move to acquire Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns could be in the pipeline.
Head coach Matt Rhule lauded Darnold for his progression, which he stated was “night and day” compared to last season. The former Baylor man added that he would be the starter if the season started today but if there was a chance to upgrade any area, the Panthers are in a position to strike if the right opportunity comes along.
"“Sam’s gotten a lot better. Really, really improving in the offense and if we played today, Sam would be our quarterback. At any position, if we can make a significant improvement, we absolutely should. But we can also make a lot of improvements by our guys playing better this year than they have in the past, and I like where he’s headed.”"
Darnold cannot do anymore. It’ll be a nervous few weeks for the player before training camp, but it’s also important for the USC product to ignore the outside noise and continue improving in the event he gets another starting shot.
Matt Corral also shone during the team’s mandatory minicamp. But considering what’s at stake for Rhule in 2022, standing pat is a monumental gamble.