Training camp is now upon us and like every year, a lot of attention will naturally focus on the likes of Sam Darnold, Christian McCaffrey and Jaycee Horn as the star attractions. However, as well as the star names, most years the highlight of training camp is the player who comes in as a relative unknown, puts on a show, and stakes a claim to a more significant role than expected as a result. Some great Panthers’ examples from recent history are Ted Ginn Jr, Kurt Coleman and Ross Cockrell.
With a huge amount of roster turnover over the past two offseasons and no Training Camp last summer, there are a huge number of players on the Panthers’ roster who fans have never had a chance to see practice or play with a Panthers’ jersey on, so who are some players who might not be headline names going into training camp but who have a chance to earn a much larger role than most would expect?
Photo Credit: Brandon Todd/Carolina Panthers
A good starting point when trying to identify players who are rated more highly by the coaches then fans might expect is to see which names come up unprompted when they speak to the media, and one name that has come up a couple of times already this offseason is the second of their 2021 5th round picks, Keith Taylor. Phil Snow mentioned that they had expected Taylor to be selected much higher in the draft than he was, and while there are three cornerbacks who are almost certain to be ahead of him on the depth chart, he appears to have a legitimate chance to earn playing time as the #4 CB.
Taylor might not have lightning speed or the ball production that immediately jumps off the screen, but he moves well for his size (6’3 195lbs) and show the discipline and awareness to execute at a high level as part of a defense. His biggest competition in camp is likely to come from the two corners the Panthers selected last year; Troy Pride and Stanley Thomas-Oliver; as well as veteran free agent acquisition signing Rashaan Melvin, and while nothing is going to be handed to him, he could well earn a prolonged run with the second team defense throughout the preseason with a strong Training Camp.
Dennis Daley is the only player on this list who isn’t a new addition to the Panthers this offseason, and while he did spend some time at left tackle as a rookie back in 2019, fans were largely absent for his injury-derailed attempt to win a starting guard spot a year ago. Now back healthy, he is expected to be one of the frontrunners to replace Chris Reed at left guard while also being part of the discussion for the starting left tackle spot.
While Daley has shown he can be functional at left tackle in the past, the coaching staff will likely hope that he can use the time at Wofford to establish himself as a high-quality starting guard at the NFL level and join Taylor Moton in being a feature of this offensive line for years to come. Far too often Panthers fans have been told that the solution could be on the roster, occasionally with disastrous results, but in the case of Daley the Panthers have a player who has played well when he has seen the field so far in his career and has a chance to be part of the solution to the long-standing offensive line issue.
Photo Credit: Brandon Todd/Carolina Panthers
When Frankie Luvu was signed towards the end of free agency it wasn’t a move that created a huge amount of buzz, which is understandable for a player who had played under 350 combined snaps over the previous two seasons while playing on one of the worst teams in the NFL. After all, how is a player who struggled to see the field for the Jets going to make an impact for a team that has aspirations of being over .500 this year?
Well, for a start, Luvu is another player who can substitute onto the field for the likes of Burns and Haason Reddick, and while he has only been used on thirty pass rushing snaps over the past two years (via PFR), in those snaps he managed to generate ten pressures and three sacks, to go with four TFLs. Obviously, this is a very small sample size, but the Panthers absolutely have a role for players who can both rush the passer and drop into coverage, and while he isn’t going to start, he has a genuine chance to earn a significant rotational role.
If how often he has been mentioned by the coaches so far this offseason is any indication, then he’s off to a good start.
Photo Credit: Brandon Todd/Carolina Panthers
Dan Arnold isn’t an unknown by NFL standards, and coming off a 400-yard and 4 TD season in Arizona, the converted receiver is likely hoping to prove that he can take that next step towards being a feature tight end for an offense. For the Panthers, getting more receiving production from their tight end room is a clear priority, and while Matt Rhule has spoken positively about Ian Thomas’s work this offseason and the selection of Tommy Tremble in the third round of the draft means that Arnold will likely be splitting snaps this season, he has a chance to be the guy who is on the field when it really matters.
While Arnold goes have some clear limitations, at 6’6 and 240lbs he is never going to be the most imposing blocker, but he is undoubtedly the most proven receiver in the tight end room for the Panthers and has already made a couple of noteworthy receptions during OTAs. He could be especially valuable to the Panthers in redzone situations, where his ability to make plays on the ball in the air will be especially valuable. Whatever his usage ends up being, expect him to make plays throughout camp.
Photo Credit: Brandon Todd/Carolina Panthers
While Efe Obada is probably not going to make an All-Pro team, with KK Short out last season (and has since been released), Obada was the Panthers’ only real source of interior pass rush for much of the 2020 season. Fifth round pick Daviyon Nixon certainly has the potential to become a high-quality interior pass rusher, but for the 2021 season the Panthers are likely to once again make use of “strong-side defensive ends” in passing situations, most notably free agent acquisition Morgan Fox.
Like Luvu, Fox comes in after being a more minor rotation piece on what was admittedly a very good Rams defense where he was primarily used as a 3-tech on passing downs and playing just over 400 snaps last season, which he managed to turn into 13 pressures, six sacks and eight TFLs. Although he isn’t likely to play 1000 snaps for the Panthers this season, if he can keep his pressure and sack rate while playing around 600 snaps then he has a chance to be an extremely valuable part of the defense, despite not going into camp as a name on most people’s lips.
There is still a lot to be decided when it comes to the roster and depth chart for the 2021 Carolina Panthers and, while there are a number of positions that are very much tied down, there is likely to be competition of some sort in every position group, something that Matt Rhule has made very clear he values as a coach.
Of course, there could well be other players not featured on this list who are able to make a splash during Training Camp, and even the coaches are sometimes surprised by exactly who rises to the top in the build-up to the season, but while you’re sitting watching Brian Burns wreak havoc and Christian McCaffrey break ankles, keep an eye on some of the lesser-known names this summer.
(Top photo via Brandon Todd/Carolina Panthers)
