3 reasons Baker Mayfield makes Panthers a playoff team

2. Offense is set up to succeed with decent QB play, defense is solid

Particularly with Christian McCaffrey coming back into the fray, the Panthers offense has the weaponry around Baker Mayfield to be quite impressive. We know how lethal McCaffrey is as a dual-threat out of the backfield but there is also D.J. Moore, Robby Andreson, Terrace Marshall Jr. and even someone like Tommy Tremble that can put defenses on their heels.

Furthermore, the Carolina offensive line, while young and somewhat unproven at several spots, should be improved from last year with the addition of first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu to man the left tackle spot.

And as for the defense, this is a group that should continue to be a middle-of-the-road unit that won’t wow anyone but has enough playmakers and solid scheming to succeed. When you factor that into what Mayfield will have on offense to work with, it’s hard not to see the upside.

1. Baker Mayfield is due for a bounce-back year with the Panthers

More important than anything, though, Baker Mayfield has the opportunity to prove a lot of people — those in the Browns organization especially — wrong in the 2022 season. And there’s reason to believe that’s more than possible.

Mayfield flashed throughout his time in Cleveland, including taking the team to the playoffs and notching an elusive postseason victory (and even pushing the Chiefs to the brink). However, the recency bias around him has everyone thinking he’s an unsalvageable disaster when that’s just not the case. He’ll never be perfect, but he’ll also not be nursing a multitude of injuries come Week 1 for the Panthers like he did for the majority of the 2021 campaign.

On top of all of that, we’ve seen what motivates Mayfield going back to his college career. When he feels backed into a corner or doubted, that’s when he thrives. This new opportunity and the situation that led to it should provide him with that bulletin-board material to allow him to utilize the weapons around him and deliver a potential career year in Carolina.