Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield will start Week 1 versus the Cleveland Browns, the team announced.
The Panthers officially announced on Monday that Mayfield beat out Sam Darnold for the starting job, confirming what had been widely expected since acquiring the quarterback from the Browns more than a month ago. Mayfield should serve as an upgrade for D.J. Moore, Robbie Anderson, and the rest of the Panthers' pass-catchers.
Baker is currently the QB27 in numberFire's preseason projections and our models project him for 3,917.6 passing yards, 23.29 touchdowns, and 15.6 interceptions this season, with 192.4 rushing yards and 1.52 touchdowns. Among the 44 quarterbacks with at least 100 drop backs last season, Baker ranked 33rd in Passing Net Expected Points per drop back (0.00) while Darnold ranked 38th (negative-0.10).
Source: Carolina Panthers