Baker Mayfield officially joined the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday following his trade, but in order to become a member of the roster, that means that someone else had to be removed from it. Unfortunately, that meant that the NFL team waived undrafted rookie free agent quarterback Davis Cheek.
Cheek, who played college football for nearby Elon, signed with Carolina in April. Up until the Mayfield trade, he was sitting at No. 4 on the quarterback depth chart behind Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, and drafted rookie Matt Corral. The odds were against Cheek making the roster, to begin with, but the arrival of Mayfield means there isn’t much room for any quarterbacks who don’t make sense for this season or the near future.
Cheek played four years for Elon University where he put up 8,548 passing yards, 51 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. He was named Second Team All-CAA and was a Walter Payton Award Finalist in 2021.
The quarterback now heads to the waiver wire where it’s possible one of the other NFL teams could claim him. However, if that doesn’t happen by July 13, he’ll become a free agent. There’s also a chance that he could return to the Panthers down the line if they need a practice squad quarterback.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.