Matt Rhule Says If Panthers Played Today, Sam Darnold Would Start

During media availability Thursday, Panthers coach Matt Rhule touched on the current quarterback situation for his team and gave an update on who is looking to be the starting quarterback for 2022. 

“Sam’s gotten a lot better, he’s really improving in the offense,” Rhule said on Sam Darnold. “If we played today, Sam would be our quarterback.” 

There’s been significant speculation over who’s going to be the starting signal-caller for Carolina in 2022 for several reasons. The most serious one being trade rumors surrounding Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Cleveland continues to look for a trade partner to deal Mayfield after the team signed Deshaun Watson to a five-year contract worth a guaranteed $230 million and the Panthers are a destination that makes sense.

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Rhule has stated that he’s open to bringing in players from other teams, but even on the current roster Darnold could have competition.  

Carolina drafted quarterback Matt Corral in the third round of April’s NFL draft and Rhule was a fan of what he saw during minicamp. Although, he also said he has some ways to go in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. 

“Matt’s natural instincts are usually pretty right on,” he said. “You find a young guy that can scan the field like that, that’s really good. The pre-snap is what’s getting him a little bit.”

Last season, Darnold threw for 2,527 yards in 12 appearances and tallied nine touchdowns along with 13 interceptions. 

• All Panthers: Three Takeaways From Day 2 of Panthers Minicamp 

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