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REPORT: P.J. Walker 'Expected' to Start Preseason Game vs Patriots

Carolina's QB1 battle has the night off.

When the Carolina Panthers offense takes the field tonight in Foxborough, neither Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold will be trotting out to start the game. Instead, it will be third-string QB P.J. Walker, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Following Wednesday's joint practice, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule hinted that this would be a game in which many of the veterans would have off.

"We're planning on playing most of our twos and threes in this game. I don't know what they [New England] are going to do, but we're going to play a lot of the younger guys trying to make the team. We have a lot of injuries right now. We've lost a lot of guys from soft tissue stuff so we'll have to see what kind of shape we're in when we get the injury report tonight."

With both Mayfield and Darnold scheduled to get the night off, this will be a big opportunity for third round draft pick Matt Corral to showcase his talent as he and Walker will alternate quarters.

Matt Rhule has yet to name a starting quarterback for the team's Week 1 matchup with Cleveland despite reports surfacing that Mayfield is "expected" to be named QB1.

"The thing I've said all along was I kind of wanted to get to this point," Rhule said. "When we know, we know. It could be at any point. It could be two more weeks or not. It could be now. We're just making sure we're thorough. We have a really good plan. We're not winging it. We have a really good plan. Sometimes, I just don't feel at liberty to share it out of respect for the guys."

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