There is a logjam in the Carolina Panthers wide receiver room. When naming roster locks, once the Kelvin Benjamins, Devin Funchesses, and Russell Shepards of the team are ticked off, the assuredness starts to wear off. Speedster Curtis Samuel was a second round pick just a few months ago and even though he hasn’t practiced, it would be hard to imagine him not on the roster. But there’s another spot, maybe even two, and a lot of talented players are vying for them. Undrafted rookie Austin Duke is a local product and made eye-popping play after eye-popping play in OTAs; veteran Brenton Bersin has been on the team the past three years and his special teams contributions make him a valuable cog in the machine; Kaelin Clay has come on as of late, making plays on both offense and special teams; Fred Ross, Trevor Graham, Keyarris Garrett and Mose Frazier are all speedy, talented pass catchers.
Meanwhile, former Gamecock Damiere Byrd is just having fun.
“I think it’s been a consistent camp for me, I’ve been able to make the plays as the opportunties have come,” the lightning fast wide receiver said yesterday, “I think I’m just playing; I think I’m having a lot of fun out there now.” It shows in his game thus far this camp, as Byrd seems to have solidly taken control of both the fifth wide receiver role in offensive drills and the punt return specialist in this early stage of training camp. Byrd is regularly seen staying after practice to practice fielding punts.
With rookie Curtis Samuel currently nursing a hamstring issue, many people have wondered how the Panthers can replace his speed on the outside if he isn’t able to start the season. Byrd, who ran a 4.28 40 yard dash, thinks he can be the answer to that problem as well, saying that his speed and his ability to take the top off the offense are two of the traits that the coaches have identified as how he can be a help to the team, perhaps jumping into a ‘Ted Ginn’ type role, trying to learn from Ginn and others how to best fill that role.
Throughout training camp, as most of the receivers have been asked who the fastest wide receiver in the locker room is, they make subtle indications towards themselves but ultimately refuse to answer, and when it was Byrd’s turn to face the question, he was just as modest, avoiding the topic at all costs. “The only way to find out truly is if we have a race. And that’s 99% not going to happen,” Byrd said. The only player who was truthful enough to answer the question of who the fastest wide receiver in the locker room was veteran Brenton Bersin. His answer: “Probably not me.”
“Being a four-way guy on special teams is really where I could find my way into a spot on this team, as well as playing receiver, I think being a return man with punt returner, being able to run down on punt team as a gunner or run down on kickoff will really be good for me.”
-Damiere Byrd
Damiere Byrd is not guaranteed a roster spot by any means; truth be told, his battle is just beginning. While he may be towards the top end of wide receiver group at this point, Byrd needs to continue consistently making plays in practice to keep that spot; even more importantly may be his play in the upcoming preseason games. Head coach Ron Rivera commented that he was looking forward to seeing the second and third team wide receivers get some playing time against some true opponents, and Byrd feels the same way.
“I’m tired of seeing Bradberry across from me. I’m tired of seeing Worley. It’ll be good to see new people.”
