As reporters filtered through the Carolina Panthers locker room, players answered questions and slowly changed clothes. Plans were made for the weekend, questions were answered about how each player thought they had played that night and how excited they were for the regular season; it was a normal postgame locker room scene. Except for one thing. In the corner of the room, a player sat at his locker, still completely dressed. Pads and all. Thirty minutes after the game had ended and everyone else on the team was almost ready to head home, but this player couldn’t bring himself to change. He was most likely one of the players who was not going to be making the team, and this was undoubtedly the final time he’d be wearing a Carolina Panthers uniform. He sat, taking in everything and nothing at the same time, contemplating that he might be out of a job in less than 48 hours.
Oftentimes, we can forget that there are men behind the names in these roster projections.
We’re five roster projections in, and this final iteration will only be interesting for approximately 24 hours. All the speculation about who the Panthers will be keeping on their roster will be proved either right or wrong by 4 PM on Saturday, as 37 players who have a job today will be looking for work. For the final time, here’s how I think the Panthers roster will shake out.
Quarterbacks: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb. No changes. No matter how much the vocal fanbase may want Anderson demoted or even cut, the quarterbacks aren’t changing. Webb is too big of a contributor on special teams to go anywhere.
Running Backs: Jonathan Stewart, Christian McCaffrey, Cameron Artis-Payne, Fozzy Whittaker. Darrel Young being announced as a starter in last night’s preseason game almost convinced me to add a fullback to the roster, but I just couldn’t do it. If the Panthers did want to keep a fullback, I’d actually lean more towards Alex Armah, as the Panthers may keep him on the roster strictly to keep him from being picked up by another team as the Panthers try to add him to the practice squad. Fozzy Whittaker is the last running back on the roster at this point, as Cameron Artis-Payne has played incredibly well this preseason and Whittaker’s special teams value may be diminishing with CAP playing on coverage and Curtis Samuel flashing in the return game.
Wide Receivers: Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard, Curtis Samuel, Damiere Byrd. I wrote this on Monday, and I don’t think it’s changed: If the Panthers decide that they want to keep six wide receivers, Kaelin Clay has most likely taken the lead for the sixth spot (and by default, the practice squad wide receiver spot). However, I think the Panthers will go with five wide receivers as they may consider Christian McCaffrey the sixth on this crew. Clay played very well against the Steelers, but there may not be room for six wide receivers on the roster.
Tight End: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Chris Manhertz. Manhertz got a ton of reps against the Steelers and while he has shown some issues with drops, the lack of a fullback means a third tight end makes sense.
Offensive Line: Trai Turner, Andrew Norwell, Ryan Kalil, Matt Kalil, Daryl Williams, Amini Silatolu, Chris Scott, Tyler Larsen, Taylor Moton, JJ Jansen. I’m not sure Chris Scott or Gino Gradkowski are healthy enough to make the roster, so Scott makes it by default as Rivera values versatility on the offensive line and Scott can play both guard and tackle. Don’t be surprised if the ninth offensive lineman is a free agent signing instead of Scott.
Special Teamers: Harrison Butker, Andy Lee. This changed quickly. With Rivera saying earlier this week that the kickers were even heading into the final preseason game and Gano missing his second field goal in the last month, Butker may have gotten the job. Don’t be surprised if the Panthers move on from both and bring in another veteran to vie for the job. Andy Lee has been involved in trade rumors, and both Palardy and Lee will have jobs this season, it’s just a matter of who will be staying in Charlotte. I’m sticking with Lee, but it’s a coin flip.
Linebackers: Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson, David Mayo, Jeremy Cash, Ben Jacobs. Unfortunately for Jared Norris, the Panthers don’t need seven linebackers when the top four might be the most talented in the league.
Defensive Ends: Julius Peppers, Charles Johnson, Daeshon Hall, Mario Addison, Wes Horton, An extremely talented defensive end group can afford to spend a few weeks without Daeshon Hall. If Hall ends up starting the season on IR/Designated to Return, Bryan Cox, Jr would be the guy to take his spot.
Defensive Tackles: Kawann Short, Star Lotulelei, Vernon Butler, Kyle Love, Eric Crume. Either Butler or Love may not be healthy enough to start the season; the Panthers may choose to add a defensive tackle in free agency or keep an extra piece in the secondary. Crume, however, has certainly played well enough to make the roster.
Cornerbacks: James Bradberry, Daryl Worley, Captain Munnerlyn, Teddy Williams, Zack Sanchez, Cole Luke. Corn Elder heads to IR/Designated to Return or the Panthers gamble that he clears waivers, as he hasn’t practiced since the first day of training camp. If Sanchez’s groin injury is more serious, he’ll get waived and there will be an extra spot on the roster, maybe for someone like Alex Armah or Bryan Cox, Jr.
Safeties: Mike Adams, Kurt Coleman, Colin Jones, Dezmen Southward. Just as I said on Monday, if the Panthers don’t make a signing here before the season starts it would be surprising. While Southward hasn’t played poorly, there will be a more talented safety available in free agency. If the Panthers wanted to be cheeky, they could cut Southward and keep someone like Corn Elder or Kyle Love on the roster who is going to be put on IR.
Last Guys Cut/Practice Squaders: Alex Armah, Bryan Cox Jr, Kaelin Clay, Zeek Bigger, Brenton Bersin, Jeff Richards, LJ McCray, Garrett Gilbert.
