Things are looking up for the Carolina Panthers heading into the 2022 NFL season. They believe they have finally addressed their quarterback woes after trading for Baker Mayfield, and are finally healthy after missing a lot of players during an injury-riddled 2021 campaign. If things go the Panthers way, they could be a surprise playoff team in the NFC this season.

A lot of that will depend on Mayfield and the Panthers offense. Carolina has a lot of talented offensive playmakers, such as Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, and Robby Anderson, to help the offense go up and down the field as they please. But without an effective quarterback, that won't be possible.

For that reason, the quarterback competition has been the prime matter of discussion for the Panthers and their fans throughout training camp and preseason play. But with Mayfield securing the job for himself, it's time for Carolina to decide how to construct the roster around him. With roster cuts on the horizon, let's look at three players who could end up unexpectedly getting released over the next few days.

3. Mike Horton

Mike Horton has fought his way onto the Panthers roster as an undrafted free agent from the 2020 NFL Draft. Despite his valiant effort to hold onto that spot, it appears as though Horton may be on the outside looking in as the Panthers roster cuts near. Horton has been competing for a spot all throughout training camp, but he may end up getting boxed out of a roster spot by his fellow linemen.

Horton has struggled at times throughout the preseason, and had a particularly awful game against the New England Patriots in Week 2 of the preseason. He looked scared to block at times, and didn't hold up in either pass protection or run blocking. It's tough to see given how hard Horton has worked to get here, but given how improved the Panthers offensive line is this season, there simply may not be a spot left for him on the roster.

The good news for the Panthers is that Horton is only competing for a backup spot at this point, meaning losing him won't be the worst thing to ever happen in Carolina. Horton had an opportunity to retain a backup spot, but he may be a practice squad candidate again after a rough go of it during training camp.

2. Kenny Robinson

Kenny Robinson has had his name floating around the news throughout training camp, but it wasn't for good reasons. Robinson was ejected during both of the Panthers joint practices with the Patriots, and it certainly hasn't gone over well with head coach Matt Rhule. Rhule wouldn't confirm nor deny whether Robinson would get cut as a result of the incident, showing that his roster spot could be in jeopardy.

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Robinson survived the incident, but he may not survive the Panthers roster cuts. Robinson has talent and has shown the potential to develop into a solid safety early on in his career, but he basically denied Rhule's claims saying he taunted the Patriots to ignite a brawl on the second day of joint practices. Robinson is sitting at the bottom of the Panthers safety depth chart, and if Carolina feels better using Robinson's roster spot to address another area, chances are they won't hesitate to cut him.

Robinson has the talent to succeed in the NFL, but Rhule doesn't let fights in practice go unnoticed. Considering how Robinson took to Twitter to deny Rhule's claims of taunting, he could end up getting the short end of the stick over the next few days. It would be surprising from a pure football perspective, but Robinson's actions may end up warranting his release.

1. Sam Darnold

24 hours ago this would have seemed like a truly outrageous claim, and even then it still may be. But the Panthers could shockingly decide to cut ties with Darnold just one season after picking him up in a trade with the New York Jets. Darnold picked up an injury in the Panthers final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills that is expected to hold him out for four-to-six weeks, and maybe Carolina doesn't want to wait that long for him to return.

Prior to Darnold's injury, it seemed like a certainty that third-string quarterback PJ Walker would be among the Panthers roster cuts, but they can't really afford to do that anymore. Would the Panthers consider releasing Darnold and holding onto Walker to create another roster spot?

Darnold has gotten thoroughly outplayed by Mayfield throughout training camp, and the Panthers could ultimately decide to roll into the season with Walker as their backup rather than Darnold. It isn't exactly likely, but it would certainly be a surprise to see Darnold get the ax just a few weeks after he was in the middle of a quarterback competition with Mayfield.