4 ways Baker Mayfield can help the Carolina Panthers in 2022
By Jason Huber
Baker Mayfield can rejuvenate the locker room
One of the biggest problems that the Carolina Panthers have had at the quarterback position since moving on from Cam Newton in 2020, is no outspoken leader to galvanize the roster.
Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold are both relatively quiet, calm guys. This really doesn’t help the team get juiced up much, especially when they’re playing poorly.
Newton did return for the second half of 2021, but the team was already without running back Christian McCaffrey and it was pretty obvious that the former NFL MVP’s best days were behind him.
While Baker Mayfield’s numbers haven’t been great, his confidence and swagger don’t go unnoticed. The Oklahoma product is arrives with something to prove and the way his situation was handled in Cleveland should leave him highly motivated.
If the Panthers started next season with Darnold as the starting quarterback, it’s a good bet that the team wouldn’t have been ‘juiced’ up for him after the struggles he went through last year.
Even if Mayfield struggles at the first, the presence of someone new who has some pedigree should certainly help make the team better.
With Mayfield’s former team on the schedule in Week 1, Carolina should be hyped up and ready to go.