Carolina Panthers reveal quarterback rotation for Patriots preseason game

The Carolina Panthers announced that P.J. Walker will start and play the first and third quarters in tonight’s preseason contest against the New England Patriots. Walker will be spelled in the second and fourth quarters by rookie quarterback Matt Corral, the third-round selection out of Ole Miss.

Panther’s head coach Matt Rhule is going with Walker after an intense week of joint practices with the Patriots where Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were working with the first team. According to Panthers.com, Rhule said part of the idea came from offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, who wants to give Walker and Corral a clear picture of what life is like as a backup quarterback.

“It’s two things; we want to see them both with the same groups, as best we can, so they both have the same set of receivers, and there’s a consistency there,” Rhule said. “And then we see them with the third group, so there’s some consistency there.

“Then the second part, and this was coach McAdoo’s idea, and his perspective, as a backup quarterback, you have to be ready to go in the game at a moment’s notice, and you have to be able to excel and play well without having much of a chance to warm up. This is our way of simulating that for them, where they have to warm up and get cooled down and go in there and be hot; that’s how I see it.”

It was recently reported that Mayfield, who the Panthers traded for this offseason, will get the nod at starting quarterback when Week 1 rolls around, usurping the job from Darnold, who the Panthers traded for last offseason to be their quarterback.

Walker, it should be noted, has been the Panthers starting quarterback for two games in his career, one in 2020 and another last season. In his first start in 2020, a spot start against the flailing Matt Patricia-led Lions, he led the Panthers to a 20-0 win.