The Panthers are back home for the first preseason home game of their 2018 campaign and while questions still swirl at certain positions, the Panthers roster is beginning to take shape with only 23 days remaining until they open the regular season at home against the Dallas Cowboys – but decisions will still need to be made by Ron Rivera and the coaching staff. Rivera said last week as training camp wrapped up that he felt there were at least ten roster spots that were still left to be decided – a third tight end, perhaps? A fourth defensive end? A seventh linebacker? What can the Panthers fighting for their roster spot do to secure their spot? The short answer: do their jobs and do it well – no mistakes allowed for a player like Kenjon Barner or Jason Vander Laan or Jared Norris or Daeshon Hall – a missed block or dropped ball or missed assignment on defense or special teams might just be the weight that pushes the scale from roster to practice squad or from practice squad to imploring your agent to get you a workout with another team.
As always for the preseason, we don’t care about what’s happening on the Miami side of the ball – I personally have a weird attachment to Frank Gore and can’t wait to see Brock Osweiler in action, but the reality is, the Dolphins don’t really matter – only the battles on the Panthers’ side of the ball. On the Panthers side of the ball, here’s what we’ll be keeping our eye on tonight against Miami, in our traditional countdown format, because – let’s be honest – who isn’t constantly counting down to kickoff?
Five Players To Watch
Greg Van Roten, LG
A week after Ron Rivera said that he thought undrafted free agent Brendan Mahon would start at left guard, the man occupying the spot between Kalils will actually be journeyman offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, who has experience at both center and guard – how he’s able to maintain the pocket and perhaps open up running lanes will go a long ways towards easing Panthers’ fans minds about the left side of the offensive line. Look out for Brendan Mahon as well, who also played extremely well with the second team last week in Buffalo.
Kevon Seymour, CB
After what could be described as a poor performance – if you wanted to be nice – Seymour needs to show the coaching staff that he can be trusted on the outside; while personal issues may have led to a distracted performance (he became a father for the second time late Friday night), he will likely get some reps against the Dolphins first-team offense or at the very least against the second team. He also got some fourth quarter reps in the game against Buffalo – if you see him out there during that time frame again, that’s not a good sign.
Ryan Kalil, C
This one isn’t so much about level of play – we know how good Kalil can be and he played at a high level even when he returned from his neck injury last season; it’s more about ensuring that he gets through the night healthy. Even though Tyler Larsen – who isn’t expected to play with a hyperextended elbow – is a quality backup, there is a marked difference between a five-time Pro Bowler and Larsen; the extent to which the elder Kalil plays in what he says will be his final season will likely mirror the Panthers’ amount of success, particularly in the ground game.
CJ Anderson, RB
When CJ Anderson, the free agent signing that was expected to take the role of Jonathan Stewart in 2018, didn’t see a carry until the beginning of the second half, many people started to wonder about his role in the offense – Rivera said after the game that they simply wanted to see their full rotation of backs, which includes Cameron Artis-Payne, throughout the game. Rivera commented on Wednesday that he liked the combination the team had in the backfield with Christian, CJ and Cam, so alarm bells may have started ringing prematurely; coaches don’t want to show their hands during the preseason and there’s nothing like keeping a starting running back on the bench until the third quarter in terms of gamemanship.
Rashaan Gaulden, S
While Gaulden didn’t have any plays that stood out in either direction – negative or positive – he’s playing from behind veteran Da’Norris Searcy and will need to play at a higher level than what he showed in Buffalo to overtake Searcy for the starting gig opposite Mike Adams. A solid showing will be nice, but I have a feeling Gaulden will need to be excellent throughout the preseason to get the nod in the early part of the season – don’t forget that he’s still a third-round pick making a position switch.
Four Roster Battles
Garrett Gilbert vs. Taylor Heinicke
From Left to Right -Garrett Gilbert – Kyle Allen – Taylor Heinicke
Sorry, I didn’t include Kyle Allen. Gilbert and Heinicke played to a draw last week as they battle for the backup quarterback slot behind Cam Newton, with Heinicke perhaps getting an edge as he looked a little bit more mobile, albeit against the third-string in the second half. Rivera says he’s looking for consistency in Heinicke this week and that translates to Gilbert – both QBs started slow last week, but heated up; it wouldn’t be surprising to see the same slow start, but if one looks good right off the bat, they may take an early lead in the competition.
Cameron Artis-Payne vs. Kenjon Barner vs. Elijah Hood
Scoring a touchdown in a preseason game doesn’t necessarily help your roster chances, but it doesn’t hurt – that’s the case with Hood, who had a 21-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter that ultimately proved to be the winning score. Cameron Artis-Payne, on the other hand, had five rushes for a single yard and Barner couldn’t bring into the positives on two carries; who gets the first carries after Christian McCaffrey leaves the field will be interesting, especially after they gave CAP an extended look early last week.
Daeshon Hall vs. Marquis Haynes
Hall and Haynes are battling for the fourth defensive end slot behind Julius Peppers, Wes Horton and Mario Addison – while sometimes it can be tough to judge defensive line play, one of the strengths of both of these players is their ability to rush the passer, specifically speed rushing around the outside; how both of them are able to use their speed to get to the spot may ultimately decide which of them makes the team and which is designated for the practice squad. Don’t be surprised to see either of them dropping into coverage as well.
Damiere Byrd vs…..
Damiere Byrd has been fighting the bubble since he came into the league and 2018 is no different, with the key question being whether or not the Panthers want to keep six wide receivers on the roster as they enter the season – injuries to Amini Silatolu and Daryl Williams have hurt Byrd’s chances – both players have to be on the 53-man roster for at least 24 hours after cut day before being placed on injured reserve (if that’s where they end up). So while Byrd isn’t fighting against any particular opponent, more play like he had in the 2017 preseason when he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns will go a long way towards making the roster.
Three Intriguing Questions, Two Fun Facts, and One Video You Don’t Want To Miss
