After two weeks, we thought that we had a real handle on the way the Carolina Panthers opening day roster was shaping up. And then the Panthers played an actual game against an actual team, defeating the Texans 27-17 on Wednesday night and began to show their hand; while some of the team’s decisions made our predictions seem spot on, some of the lineups clouded the situations even further. Just as I’ve been saying for the past two weeks, there is still a lot of time before the Panthers have to make any decisions, and while training camp in Spartanburg may be over, the training camp battles will rage on right up until September 2nd when the Panthers will release 37 players. A strong showing in practice is all well and good, but it will be the performances in the next three preseason games that will make or break these players’ chances at an NFL paycheck come Week 1. A perfect example against the Texans was at wide receiver. Damiere Byrd showed out with six catches for 98 yards and two scores, while Austin Duke had a fumble that, even though it was overturned by the referees, will still be seared in head coach Ron Rivera’s memory. Byrd spent the next three practices catching passes with the first unit while Duke’s targets came from practice squad hopeful Garrett Gilbert.
As I’ve said before, don’t overreact to this projection. This is just a projection, it’s still early, and just as putting LJ McCray on last week’s projection was outdated at halftime of the Texans game, there will probably be something that is proven wrong during the practices in Nashville this week. As always, if you think I’m way off, let me know in the comments.
Quarterbacks: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb. Same as it ever was.
Running Backs: Jonathan Stewart, Christian McCaffrey, Cameron Artis-Payne, Fozzy Whittaker. The fullback situation is so puzzling right now, and I feel that by the end of the preseason, Darrel Young will take Artis-Payne’s spot; in fact, during practice, when Young gets goal line carries or catches a pass out of the backfield, I say to myself, “This is the week he makes the roster projection.” And then Young gets almost no playing time during the preseason game against the Texans. Let’s wait one more week before putting him on the roster.
Wide Receivers: Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard, Curtis Samuel, Damiere Byrd. Damiere Byrd has given himself a wide lead in the race for the fifth wide receiver slot after his eye-popping performance in the first preseason game, with Brenton Bersin and Kaelin Clay in a tight battle if the Panthers decide to keep six wide receivers. However, at this point, the team needs depth at other positions more than wideout.
Tight End: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Chris Manhertz. Barring an injury, these will be your three tight ends come September 10th. Manhertz has played well in practice and if he can step up his game, could challenge Dickson for the TE2 role Dickson has maintained for years.
Offensive Line: Trai Turner, Andrew Norwell, Ryan Kalil, Matt Kalil, Daryl Williams, Amini Silatolu, Chris Scott, Tyler Larsen, Taylor Moton, Gino Gradkowski, JJ Jansen. With Gradkowski being banged up and the Panthers signing Brian Folkerts, who was with the team in 2013-14, that spot is definitely up for grabs. If you’re looking for somewhere the Panthers need to add depth, it’s at the tackle position. Matt Kalil and Daryl Williams are hardly the pictures of health and experience, and while rookie Taylor Moton has impressed in practice, Amini Silatolu does not look comfortable on the outside just yet.
Special Teamers: Graham Gano, Andy Lee. Interestingly enough, Rivera said Sunday that the real competition is not at kicker, but at punter, where Andy Lee has looked a bit rusty and Michael Palardy has impressed in camp.
Linebackers: Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson, David Mayo, Jeremy Cash, Ben Jacobs, Jared Norris. Sorry Clemson fans, I’m not sure Ben Boulware is even a lock for the practice squad at this point. It will take a whole lot of fantastic play for the next three weeks to improve his standing. Jeremy Cash didn’t play particularly well in coverage on Wednesday night, but he will make his living on special teams.
Defensive Ends: Julius Peppers, Charles Johnson, Daeshon Hall, Mario Addison, Wes Horton. This group won’t change, barring an injury. Daeshon Hall has a lot of raw skill but will be a situational player this year as the rest of the line is the best collection of outside talent in the league.
Defensive Tackles: Kawann Short, Star Lotulelei, Vernon Butler, Kyle Love. The Panthers need to get healthy and quickly on the interior of the defensive line. Eric Crume played a fair amount of snaps in the first preseason game but didn’t do anything to impress. Kyle Love needs to play to keep his spot or he’ll be replaced by a free agent pickup sometime this preseason.
Cornerbacks: James Bradberry, Daryl Worley, Captain Munnerlyn, Teddy Williams, Cole Luke. I believe Corn Elder will start the year on the IR/Designated to Return list, but if he makes it back in time for the start of the regular season, he obviously would make the roster and undrafted free agent Cole Luke will be the casualty. Teddy Williams is a special teams ace that has moved up the depth chart to the first backup corner on the outside, which does not instill confidence if either Bradberry or Worley were to get injured. Luke has shown flashes on the inside, but will need to play more consistently to secure his spot on the roster, the team seems to be trying him on the outside in spots as well. Zack Sanchez appears to have been overtaken by both Luke and Williams in the secondary.
Safeties: Mike Adams, Kurt Coleman, Colin Jones, Dezmen Southward. In a surprising turn, Southward got most of the second team reps against the Texans over LJ McCray, and while McCray was blitzed multiple times during the game, he seems to have fallen behind the former Wisconsin Badger on the depth chart. Southward had an up-and-down game, registering six tackles but looking out of place during certain plays. The final safety spot is far from decided, don’t forget about Damian Parms, who started the game on the outside for the opening kickoff. Special teams makes a big difference for the final few roster spots.
