Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold continue to rotate days with the Carolina Panthers' first-team offense in the battle for the QB1 job. Darnold took the reps with the ones in Monday's padded practice, with Mayfield set to lead the way Tuesday.
Mayfield said he appreciates how forthright coach Matt Rhule and the staff has been in how they'll conduct the competition.
"Everything has been extremely transparent," Mayfield said, via the team's official website. "They're telling us exactly how they're handling it. It's not being said to one person, and Sam hears another thing; it's right there in front of us and clear and concise."
Rhule said last week he's not close to a decision on a Week 1 starter, which isn't a surprise in the nascent stages of training camp. The longer the battle goes, the better Mayfield will know the offense.
The quarterback said he's "much more comfortable" in the scheme than a week ago.
"For me, it's obviously not second nature yet, but I'm trying to make those steps toward you learn the reads well enough to where it's a reaction to get through the progressions and knowing where to go," he said. "Last week was definitely slower than I would like it to be, but that's to be expected. Looking to make some steps this week with repeated calls and get better."
We'll get a better idea of where the QB battle in Carolina stands when the Panthers kick off preseason action on Saturday, Aug. 13, against the Washington Commanders.
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