Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule gave Baker Mayfield the starting nod for their preseason opener against the Washington Commanders this past week. But his latest announcement on the quarterback position is bothering fans.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Rhule announced that Mayfield and incumbent starter Sam Darnold will continue to share first-team reps during their upcoming joint practice with the New England Patriots.
The Panthers acquired Mayfield in a trade with the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason. But there hasn’t been a clear-cut favorite to emerge throughout training camp.
As you can imagine, Rhule’s “plan” isn’t setting well with Panthers fans. Many are criticizing him for being indecisive or wasting time by not making a formal decision:
The Carolina Panthers’ quarterback situation has been in flux ever since Matt Rhule arrived in 2020. He’s 10-23 overall with four different starting quarterbacks working under center.
Carolina thought they had solved their QB woes when they traded for Sam Darnold last year. But the same issues that vexed him with the New York Jets appeared to follow him to Carolina within a few weeks.
Those struggles from Darnold prompted their trade for Mayfield, and the jury is obviously still out on whether Mayfield can get the offense where Rhule needs it to be.
Patience for Rhule seems to be running out in Charlotte, North Carolina. If he doesn’t get results this year, his seat might start getting very hot.
Will Matt Rhule’s decision at quarterback come back to haunt him during the regular season?