Baker Mayfield goes over 4,000 passing yards for the first time
Perhaps it is surprising that Baker Mayfield has never gone over 4,000 passing yards in his four-year career to date. However, the Cleveland Browns operated a run-first approach with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who rapidly emerged as arguably the league’s best backfield tandem behind a stout offensive line.
Mayfield’s career-high in this regard came in 2020 with 3,827 yards through the air. This dipped significantly to 3,010 last season, but one could probably give him a pass considering the former No. 1 overall selection was playing with pain and without Odell Beckham Jr. after his released.
The Carolina Panthers have some solid weapons. Although nobody outside of D.J. Moore managed to make a telling contribution in 2021 thanks to the dismal distribution from Sam Darnold.
Mayfield is never going to be a gunslinger like Patrick Mahomes, but he has a live arm, sees the field well, and can also make things happen when a specific play is not developing as expected. Carolina also has a stronger offensive line and Christian McCaffrey back from injury, so everything is in position for the signal-caller to thrive.
Going over 4,000 passing yards for the first time could be a major step in the right direction for Mayfield. It would also indicate that others within the scheme have lived up to their end of the bargain.