Depth Cornerback vs Each Other
Barring an injury, James Bradberry and Donte Jackson will be starting for the Panthers in 2019 and Ross Cockrell is highly likely to see a decent chunk of playing time. However, what happens to Kevon Seymour, Corn Elder, Javien Elliot, Lorenzo Doss and Josh Thornton is far, far less clear. Some of those listed – such as Seymour and Elder – are somewhat known entities for the Panthers’ coaching staff, but others are either far less experienced in terms of time on the active roster or are completely new to it.
There is also a chance that the Panthers look to use Rashaan Gaulden – somebody that will come up again in this list – to play in the slot at times, especially against bigger receivers, but they need to have options behind the main three corners in case of injury, if nothing else. Seymour is probably the most likely to make the final roster, as the Panthers seemed to view him as a legitimate third option between Ross Cockrell’s injury and his own last preseason.
Conversely, both Thornton and Doss probably have the hardest road to the active roster, though given the limited impact that Elder was able to have on the Panthers’ roster last season, and the fact that the Buccaneers were willing to release Elliot despite not exactly having the best secondary last season, the fact that they are the more experienced options doesn’t necessarily make them the better ones.
This really is anybody’s battle to win, and it’s not even clear at this stage exactly how many cornerbacks the Panthers will carry given the uncertainty regarding what is going on at safety, but four seems like a absolute minimum – and that leaves at least one spot for these guys to fight over.
Should be fun.
Depth Receivers vs Each Other
Yes, each other is a real option at both receiver and cornerback.
DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel are going to make the roster as the starters and Jarius Wright should also return in his role as slot possession receiver – everything else is anybody’s guess. Torrey Smith, Aldrick Robinson and Chris Hogan all offer both veteran experience and a rotation vertical option, and while I think it is probable that at least one of Hogan and Smith – who won’t be able to help his case when camp begins as he will start on the Active PUP list – make the final roster, given that they also have a number of younger options at receiver – highlighted by Rashaad Ross and Terry Godwin – who makes the roster outside the top three is still up for grabs.
As well as their play as receivers, another thing to factor into this is the potential contribution they might make on special teams. The Panthers don’t have a clear option to return either kicks or punts – at least not without risking a starting offensive piece in this way – and so if anybody is able to show they can be relied on to do this, that might give them the edge for the final roster spot. Don’t rule out recent signing Jaydon Mickens, who held this role in Jacksonville and scored a punt return touchdown in 2017 as a rookie.
As with cornerback, it is also not clear exactly how many receiver spots might be available, with a decent chunk of that decision coming down to the level of play of players at different positions on the edge of the roster.
It would be slightly surprising to see the Panthers go with the three veteran players and nobody else, so it should be expected that there is something of a direct battle between Ross and Godwin, though of course, both could make the final roster; as with the rookies earlier, this is a battle that is likely to go back and forth as it is unlikely that a couple of players separate themselves from day one and stay there throughout camp. Given the number of snaps to go around, receiver is a position where all the players have a chance to impress without the need for detailed tape review of position drills.
Rashaan Gaulden vs The Field
Of course, the most significant question regarding the Panthers right now is what on earth is going on at free safety?
Rashaan Gaulden seems to be the one given the first shake of the stick, and given how little he played as a rookie it’s very hard to judge where he is at this point, having converted to safety after having played nickel for most of his time at Tennessee. The worst case scenario for the Panthers is likely starting Colin Jones, as while he is a better player than some give him credit for, he is not a starter at the NFL level, certainly not for a sustained period of time rather than stepping in for a game here and there.
There are some other options on the Panthers roster, highlighted by Cole Luke and Kai Nacua, but these are really long shots to perform at the level needed of starting players in the NFL. However, as long as Tre Boston remained unsigned, his existence is likely to be the biggest shadow hanging over Gaulden for as long as he is unable to nail down the starting role. In Gaulden’s favor, a year ago he was a rookie changing positions, so the fact that he was unable to tie down a starting role isn’t the biggest issue, but that ‘being young and inexperienced’ excuse only works so long, especially when you’re a former day two pick.
Marty Hurney on where Rashaan Gaulden fits into this secondary. pic.twitter.com/hFQw32jm8R
— The Riot Report (@RRiotReport) July 24, 2019
No team goes into training camp without any questions to answer, and no team rolls out 25 All-Pros for 19 games a season, but the lack of a clear starting free safety option isn’t nothing, and the longer that remains the case, the more likely the Panthers look for a solution that is not currently on the roster.
Things change really quickly in training camp – the Panthers found that out the hard way a year ago, but in my mind, as of right now – Wednesday, 5:09pm ET – these are the five biggest battles going into Training Camp – whether they are resolved in the first week or some weeks into the season, how they are resolved will go a long way in determining how far the Panthers will go in 2019.
