Look, I get it. It’s Thursday night, with the Friday before a three-day weekend upcoming; you’re probably less than enthused about watching a game in which you likely won’t get to see the following players: Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Kawann Short, Julius Peppers, Devin Funchess, Greg Olsen, Torrey Smith, CJ Anderson, Shaq Thompson, James Bradberry, Mike Adams and – oh wait, hey! Don’t click over to your “Top Eight Ways to Grill the Perfect Cheeseburger!” article you’ve been eyeballing on Facebook for the past few minutes.

If you think this game doesn’t mean anything to these guys, check out this video:

Don’t forget, it may have been Kaelin Clay’s big game last season against Pittsburgh (three catches, 76 yards) that made him a trade target for the Bills the next week. And you wanted to watch Must See TV – Here’s fifteen reasons you should watch the Panthers/Steelers in Pittsburgh tomorrow night.

Five Players Who Are Auditioning For The Panthers

Kenjon Barner, RB

If the Panthers decide to keep four running backs, one would assume that Barner is the fourth; he might even be competing with Cameron Artis-Payne as the third back behind CJ Anderson and Christian McCaffrey, but if Barner can make a big play on special teams – his likeliest area to contribute – or continue to show the quick feet and burst that has allowed him to average over eight yards per carry thus far in the preseason, it might just be enough to get him onto the roster. He, along with the rest of the players on this list, will also be auditioning for the rest of the “31 other flavors” in the NFL – but these five seem like a big game tonight could propel them onto the 53.

Andre Smith, LB

It’s clear the Panthers coaching staff wants to keep Smith around, and with Thomas Davis suspended for the first four weeks, there is an opportunity for the former Tar Heel to step in and get some reps, particularly on special teams – expect to see a lot of Smith over the course of the game and if he impresses [or more importantly, stays healthy] expect him to get a roster spot to try and make the team over the first four weeks of the season.

Demetrious Cox, S

While the safety position seems locked up between Gaulden, Jones, Adams and Searcy – Cox could make a push for a hybrid defensive back position and special teams ace – the coaching staff was very excited about him last season and he was the first sub off the bench when Kurt Coleman got hurt early in the season – he also led the team in special teams snaps last week. If he flashes, particularly in special teams, he might be able to sneak his way onto the roster, or at the very least be in high consideration for the practice squad.

Blaine Clausell, T

Clausell was forced into action at right tackle before kicking over to left tackle for the second half against New England and a good performance in what will likely be an extended look will make the coaches feel better about the former practice squad player on the outside as a depth piece. With so many question marks up front, it will be interesting to see just how many offensive linemen the team decides to keep – Clausell is likely right on the line between being kept and cut.

Daeshon Hall, DE

Hall, like Damiere Byrd, is more a victim of circumstance than anything else – the Panthers have three stalwarts on the defensive line and drafted Marquis Haynes in the fourth round this season – if they want to keep five (and that’s a big if), the fifth spot likely goes to Bryan Cox, Jr, who spent some time on the field last year as they battled injuries. Former third round picks don’t get cut very often, but he’ll need to make some noise tonight in order to keep that from happening to the player that spent most of last season on injured reserve.

Four Players Who Are Auditioning For Other Teams

All of the Players In The Above Category

All of the players above are extremely close to making the Panthers roster, but if they don’t make it, “the Panthers aren’t the only team that makes money,” as Kenjon Barner said earlier this week – some of these players are not in great positions to make the Panthers roster, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be successful elsewhere.

Damiere Byrd, WR

This is a tough one – but the numbers just don’t appear to add up for Byrd. A big game will make him even more attractive than he already is; he’ll likely get snapped up happily by another team looking for a speedy wide receiver who excels in special teams, but on a team that has DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel, Torrey Smith and Devin Funchess, there may not be enough room for Byrd, especially when the team may have to keep extra depth along the offensive and defensive lines to compensate for injuries.

Garrett Gilbert, QB

Gilbert appears to be losing the backup quarterback battle and the team may only keep two on the roster – while Gilbert would likely be brought back in a practice squad role, a good performance from GG tonight would certainly put him in contention to be signed as a developmental piece for a team with an established starter, the same way the Panthers brought in Brad Kaaya last season.

Kendrick Norton, DT

This may be an instance of “good player, bad fit” because it’s extremely tough to break into the ranks of the defensive tackle rotation for the Carolina Panthers; to outplay Kyle Love, one of the more underrated players on the team, is extremely tough – Norton will likely get picked up somewhere else and land on the Panthers practice squad if he does make it through waivers.

Three Position Battles To Watch

Garrett Gilbert vs. Taylor Heinicke

While Heinicke appears to have the job of backup quarterback locked up, Ron Rivera insists that there is still a competition – can Gilbert have such a great night in Pittsburgh that he leapfrogs Heinicke?

Corn Elder vs. Lorenzo Doss

When you talk about competitions, and Ron Rivera has said multiple times that there are competitions at the back end of this roster, none may be closer than the last slot in the defensive secondary – while the team likes their 2017 fifth-rounder Elder, Doss was the first cornerback off the bench last weekend against the Patriots when James Bradberry came out – with Kevon Seymour likely to play tonight, it will be interesting to see who gets the reps between Doss and Elder. Elder has looked strong as a tackler and as a playmaker in the games while Doss has excelled on the practice field thus far. This one feels like a toss-up, currently – so a big night could put one of them on the Panthers and the other in another uniform come Sunday.

Daeshon Hall vs. Bryan Cox vs. Zach Moore vs. Marquis Haynes

While Marquis Haynes and Cox are leading this battle, Moore and Hall are still very much in consideration for either a roster spot or a chance to make the practice squad. I’d like to see Moore lined up in multiple spots again and if you hear Daeshon Hall’s name being called, that’s definitely a good thing.

Two Fun Facts

  • Through three preseason games, Newton’s 68.4% completion rate ranks as his highest of his career through eight preseasons – except for 2017 when he only attempted two passes in one game. That time it was 100%.
  • Thus far in the preseason, Carolina’s defense has allowed a 40% red zone conversion rate, tying for sixth in the NFL and their five offensive touchdowns allowed ties for eighth in the league. Through this preseason, the Panthers have also scored the most offensive touchdowns (10) in the NFL.

One Podcast Network

Yes, that’s right! It’s just the fourth preseason game, so we thought this would be a great time to remind you to check out The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina – four different podcasts, with something for everyone! The Roaring Riot Podcast keeps you up to date on exactly what’s going on both on and off  the field with your favorite team and your favorite fan group! It Is What It Is features interviews with your favorite Panthers players and coaches – the latest episode featured wide receiver Rasheed Bailey! One Day Contract is hosted by Nikki Wolfe and features Josh Klein and Colin Hoggard being joined by a different member of the Charlotte media each week to discuss your favorite team! And be sure to check out The Keep PounDENN podcast hosted by Dennis, Chris and Bobby as they take a look from a national perspective at your favorite team – OH, AND THEY DO IT LIVE! That’s right, you can follow along and interact with them, they’ll even answer your questions on the show!

Be sure to like, follow and subscribe to all of the pods to find your favorite – and like Keep PounDENN on Facebook to chat with them live immediately following tonight’s game! That’s what we call rapid reactions! See you in Pittsburgh!

 

Josh Klein on Twitter
Josh Klein
Editor-In-Chief at The Riot Report
Josh Klein is Editor-In-Chief of The Riot Report. His favorite Panther of all time is Chad Cota and he once AIM chatted with Kevin Greene. Follow Josh on Twitter @joshkleinrules.