It’s been quite the Monday for the Carolina Panthers, who are going to see some major changes in two of the most important positions.
First, the team finally fired head coach Matt Rhule following a 1-4 start and a third-straight season in which the NFL franchise looks destined to be near the bottom of the standings.
Then, they elevated Steve Wilks to the role of interim head coach.
Now comes word that starting quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain on Sunday. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he’s expected to miss time and PJ Walker is likely to start for the Panthers until he can return.
Walker, it should be noted, is 2-0 as a starter for Carolina. And some were already speculating that Mayfield could be benched for Walker regardless of the injury, so perhaps this was inevitable.
Walker, who played for Rhule at Temple, signed a two-year deal with the team in 2020. He played in four games that season, starting one, throwing for 258 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 20–0 win. In 2021, he appeared in five games, also starting one, throwing for 200 yards, one score, and three interceptions in the victory.
The 27-year-old will get a real chance to prove that the Panthers should invest in him moving forward, but we’ll see what the future holds for him, Mayfield, and Wilks, in the weeks ahead.
America’s QB returns to save the #Panthers https://t.co/k17w1UjhSu
— Emory Hunt (@FBallGameplan) October 10, 2022
Let the tanking begin https://t.co/AzD80pHuLm
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) October 10, 2022