Panthers' Sam Darnold: Set to compete with Mayfield

Darnold is now in line to compete with Baker Mayfield -- who was acquired by Carolina on Wednesday -- for the team's starting quarterback job, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

The competition will feature the top two quarterbacks selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, as Darnold was chosen by the Jets with the No. 3 overall pick, while the Browns grabbed Mayfield with the top overall pick. While nothing will be handed to Mayfield, it stands to reason that the Panthers wouldn't have acquired him had Darnold been viewed as the team's clear-cut answer under center. The 25-year-old Darnold is coming off an uneven 2021 campaign -- his first with Carolina -- in which he logged 2,527 passing yards to go with a 9:13 TD:INT in 12 games. For his part, Mayfield has reportedly recovered from an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, an injury that hampered him during his final season in Cleveland.