4 major concerns surrounding Carolina Panthers trade for Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield’s shoulder injury

Playing with a torn labrum is something Baker Mayfield probably regrets. Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have, obviously, and there is every chance the Cleveland Browns would have gone after Deshaun Watson in any case given his age and ability on the field.

Mayfield suffered the injury in Week 2 and continued to play on, to his credit. This proves the heart within the signal-caller and his mindset to do whatever it takes in pursuit of winning.

Such was the extent of the problem, Mayfield underwent surgery this offseason to repair the damage. This leaves some doubt as to what the after-effects could be regarding further complications down the line.

The Carolina Panthers don’t think this is going to be much of a problem. Mayfield passed his physical on Thursday afternoon and the injury is not on his throwing shoulder, which is another major positive.

Nobody can question Mayfield’s heart. Playing through the pain was obviously rough and was reflected in a significant downturn in production.

However, if the Heisman Trophy winner can fully heal and return to the form we saw in 2020, then the Panthers could be set to make strides at long last.