Preseason week four is upon us and the Carolina Panthers will be facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, per tradition. Let’s examine five players from each team that will be integral in learning more about the looming cut from 90 players to 53 at the end of the preseason. Before we get started, because starters get so few reps (if any), we’ll be omitting them entirely. Check out some other players fighting for their roster spots here.
Five Pittsburgh Steelers to watch
#39 Terrell Watson, Running Back
Photo: Steelers.com
Watson has been nicknamed ‘Nightmare’ by Mike Tomlin due to his physical rushing style and the fact that he went to the Azusa Pacific, which produced Christian Okoye aka the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’. After a solid performance against the Indianapolis Colts last week, Watson will be looking to cement himself as Pittsburgh’s third running back over Knile Davis.
#83 Cobi Hamilton, Wide Receiver
Photo: Steelers.com
After starting against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship last season, Hamilton is now fighting for a roster spot. The Steelers are deep at the wide receiver position with Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Sammie Coates and JuJu Smith-Schuster headlining the unit and as such Hamilton will be battling with Darrius Heyward-Bey, Eli Rogers, Justin Hunter and Demarcus Ayers for a roster spot.
#40 Mike Hilton, Defensive Back
Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Hilton’s rise from the practice squad to a potential starter alone makes him an intriguing player to watch. He will likely play as an inside corner and how the Panthers slot receivers do against him will help determine who among them deserves a roster spot.
#20 Cameron Sutton, Cornerback
Photo: Steelers.com
The rookie cornerback has a chance to see extensive time as the coaching staff tries to decide how much playing time to give him to start the regular season. While he had a good debut, his performance this week will go a long way in deciding who receives playing time when it matters. The Panthers receiving corp will need to show an ability to beat Sutton if they hope to impress Ron Rivera ahead of the regular season.
#85 Xavier Grimble, TE
Photo: Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
After the Steelers traded for Vance McDonald this week, many have forgotten about Grimble and how he has played throughout the preseason. Grimble has been the only tight end to really make an impact over the last three weeks and will be fighting for a roster spot now that McDonald has entered the fold. He will be interesting to watch due to the Steelers lack of depth at tight end and his potential fit within the scheme.
Carolina Panthers
#10 Curtis Samuel, Wide Receiver
Your Second Round Pick
Usually, high round draft picks do not see extensive playing time in week four of the preseason. But then again, they don’t usually miss extensive time due to injury beforehand. Samuel could see a good amount of snaps this week as the Panthers try to figure out how to use him best. Similar to fellow rookie Christian McCaffrey’s first game, Samuel truly only saw action in one facet of his debut and was almost exclusively used on screens and short passes against the Jaguars. As such, it makes sense that the coaching staff will look to use him in a much broader assortment of plays in his second game as they did with McCaffrey. We should know well before game time if Samuel is going to suit up, but if he does, he should get a fair amount of work.
#83 Kaelin Clay, Wide Receiver
With the receiving group all but set, Kaelin Clay is on the outside looking in. However, he has been a player that has caught my eye in each of the last three games. His performance as a return man was better than Byrd’s and his penchant for good routes and quick feet make him an interesting case study. If he can show that he is a man among boys this week then his chances of making the roster increase exponentially, especially if the Panthers decide to keep six wideouts.
#64 Bryan Cox, Jr.
Stop me if you have heard this before: Cox has had a phenomenal preseason and should make the Panthers 53 man roster. For those of you who haven’t heard that line before, Rakim Cox turned in an impressive preseason two years ago and while he didn’t end up making the roster, he was still fun to watch over those four weeks. For Bryan Cox, the story line is a little different, the Panthers’ defensive depth is all but shot with both Vernon Butler and Kyle Love being injured, and because of that, Cox has a real chance at making the roster. What truly makes him a player to watch is the fact that he has been the fifth best defensive line player on the Panthers this preseason, with Julius Peppers, Kawann Short, Mario Addison, Charles Johnson, and Vernon Butler ahead of him in that order.
#85 Bryce Williams, Tight End
Scott Simonson and Chris Manhertz have not been particularly good over the last year. The Panthers have been searching for a third tight end that can actually contribute without causing issues for the better part of three years. While Williams may not be that tight end, this will be his best chance to prove he deserves a roster spot over Simonson or Manhertz. The second year player out of East Carolina will need to prove his ability to run block and show better hands than his competition in order to make the roster; while he may not have enough time to pass Manhertz on the depth chart, he should still be an interesting player to watch.
#72 Eric Crume, Defensive Line
While Cox Jr. would likely be brought up as a backup pass rusher and disrupter, Eric Crume would be brought in to eat double teams and keep linebackers free. Crume has made a number of mistakes over the preseason but has also helped make a number of plays, all without seeming to slow down at all. Crume has the best chance at making the roster as a backup for the defensive front, followed closely by Cox.
