Especially in the preseason, the amount of snaps a player takes in a game tends to show a modicum of how the coaches view their role on the team – for the guys who are in battles for roster spots, these numbers are doubly important. As we examine the third preseason game, which most analysts view as the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season, these numbers become more meaningful; it’s clear that the coaching staff are trying to see what they have at certain positions, so take a look at the numbers and we’ll give some analysis below – the reality of the situation is that most roster battles have already been decided in the coaches’ minds, it’s just up to us to parse out the clues and reveal who will make the 53 man roster when 37 players are sent looking for another gig next Saturday.
| Offensive Snaps | Percentage | Defensive Snaps | Percentage | Special Teams | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B Clausell | T | 60 | 87% | 4 | 16% | ||
| T Moton | T | 34 | 49% | 3 | 12% | ||
| G Van Roten | C | 34 | 49% | 3 | 12% | ||
| T Turner | G | 34 | 49% | 3 | 12% | ||
| R Kalil | C | 34 | 49% | ||||
| C McCaffrey | RB | 34 | 49% | ||||
| I Thomas | TE | 33 | 48% | 8 | 32% | ||
| G Olsen | TE | 31 | 45% | 1 | 4% | ||
| D Funchess | WR | 31 | 45% | ||||
| C Newton | QB | 30 | 43% | ||||
| K Friend | C | 27 | 39% | 5 | 20% | ||
| T Smith | WR | 26 | 38% | ||||
| A Bisnowaty | T | 23 | 33% | ||||
| B Mahon | G | 22 | 32% | 5 | 20% | ||
| T Hearn | G | 22 | 32% | 2 | 8% | ||
| E Baylis | TE | 20 | 29% | ||||
| C Samuel | WR | 19 | 28% | 6 | 24% | ||
| D Moore | WR | 19 | 28% | 2 | 8% | ||
| J Wright | WR | 19 | 28% | ||||
| T Heinicke | QB | 18 | 26% | ||||
| G Gilbert | QB | 17 | 25% | ||||
| D Byrd | WR | 16 | 23% | 3 | 12% | ||
| Q Eatmon | T | 16 | 23% | ||||
| A Armah | RB | 13 | 19% | 8 | 32% | ||
| D Johnson | G | 13 | 19% | 2 | 8% | ||
| N Price | T | 13 | 19% | 2 | 8% | ||
| B Howard | WR | 12 | 17% | 2 | 8% | ||
| A Duke | WR | 12 | 17% | ||||
| C Artis-Payne | RB | 10 | 14% | 4 | 16% | ||
| R Bailey | WR | 10 | 14% | 3 | 12% | ||
| M Frazier | WR | 8 | 12% | 7 | 28% | ||
| J Sirles | G | 8 | 12% | 1 | 4% | ||
| T Larsen | G | 8 | 12% | ||||
| E Hood | RB | 7 | 10% | 8 | 32% | ||
| K Barner | RB | 7 | 10% | 7 | 28% | ||
| C Anderson | RB | 7 | 10% | ||||
| K Allen | QB | 5 | 7% | ||||
| R Bonnafon | RB | 4 | 6% | 2 | 8% | ||
| C Serigne | TE | 2 | 3% | 1 | 4% | ||
| J Reese | TE | 1 | 1% | 3 | 12% | ||
| D Jackson | DB | 35 | 52% | 2 | 8% | ||
| D Southward | CB | 32 | 48% | 6 | 24% | ||
| C Elder | CB | 31 | 46% | 1 | 4% | ||
| L Kuechly | LB | 30 | 45% | 2 | 8% | ||
| M Adams | SS | 30 | 45% | 2 | 8% | ||
| J Bradberry | CB | 29 | 43% | 2 | 8% | ||
| L Doss | CB | 27 | 40% | 9 | 36% | ||
| D Cox | SS | 26 | 39% | 17 | 68% | ||
| S Thompson | LB | 26 | 39% | 2 | 8% | ||
| B Jacobs | LB | 24 | 36% | 16 | 64% | ||
| C Jones | FS | 24 | 36% | 8 | 32% | ||
| W Horton | DE | 24 | 36% | 1 | 4% | ||
| B Cox | DE | 22 | 33% | 5 | 20% | ||
| R Gaulden | DB | 22 | 33% | 2 | 8% | ||
| D Hall | DE | 22 | 33% | 1 | 4% | ||
| J Norris | LB | 21 | 31% | 11 | 44% | ||
| A Carter | CB | 21 | 31% | 11 | 44% | ||
| L Gunter | CB | 21 | 31% | 7 | 28% | ||
| M Haynes | LB | 21 | 31% | 6 | 24% | ||
| E Obada | DE | 21 | 31% | 5 | 20% | ||
| T Sprinkle | DT | 21 | 31% | 1 | 4% | ||
| K Short | DT | 19 | 28% | 1 | 4% | ||
| M Addison | DE | 19 | 28% | 1 | 4% | ||
| D Poe | DT | 19 | 28% | 1 | 4% | ||
| V Butler | DT | 19 | 28% | 1 | 4% | ||
| C Munnerlyn | CB | 18 | 27% | ||||
| D Mayo | LB | 17 | 25% | 7 | 28% | ||
| K Love | DT | 16 | 24% | 1 | 4% | ||
| K Norton | DT | 16 | 24% | ||||
| J Carter | LB | 15 | 22% | 3 | 12% | ||
| Z Moore | DE | 13 | 19% | 4 | 16% | ||
| S Bailey | DE | 11 | 16% | ||||
| T Davis | LB | 8 | 12% | ||||
| R Brown | LB | 6 | 9% | 7 | 28% | ||
| C Frey | LB | 6 | 9% | 7 | 28% | ||
| K Anderson | DE | 5 | 7% | 1 | 4% | ||
| G Gano | K | 11 | 44% | ||||
| M Palardy | P | 9 | 36% | ||||
| J Jansen | LS | 8 | 32% |
- Whew. You know Blaine Clausell was sore this weekend after playing right tackle with the first team for most of the first half and taking on the left tackle slot for the beginning of the second half with the second offensive line – it’s clear that if Jeremiah Sirles is going to miss time, then Clausell will be the top backup swing tackle and first man off the bench in the jumbo package – the same role that Taylor Moton had last year.
- While it’s no surprise that the rest of the offensive line played the entire first half, joining them in the 100% Club was running back Christian McCaffrey – questions about his usage and touches are being answered in the preseason – he had 14 touches in the first half; expect him to have a huge role as what appears to be the foundation of the Panthers’ offense thus far.
- In other skill position news, Devin Funchess and Torrey Smith received the most snaps of the wide receivers – they seem to be the preferred combination in 12 personnel; Jarius Wright, DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel had 19 snaps each.
- Only seven snaps for CJ Anderson – his role is still up in the air, it will be interesting to see if he’s used as a complement to McCaffrey Week 1 against Dallas or as a straight backup/handcuff.
- Once James Bradberry exited the game, Lorenzo Doss was the first cornerback off the bench – with Kevon Seymour not dressing after a root canal, Doss and Corn Elder each got more than 40% of the snaps. There was a lot of playing time for Demetrious Cox as well, including the most special teams snaps – if there isn’t room on the roster for Cox, expect the Panthers to try and bring him back to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
- Any questions about the defensive end rotation were decidedly not answered – Marquis Haynes, Efe Obada, Daeshon Hall, and Bryan Cox, Jr all received 21 or 22 snaps – although after the game, Ron Rivera went out of his way to praise Haynes and Cox.
- With Thomas Davis only playing the first two series, it looked like his snaps went to David Mayo, add up Davis and Mayo’s snap counts, and they almost equaled Shaq Thompson’s exactly.
- One surprising number was the high number of snaps for Colin Jones, who was rotated with Rashaan Gaulden on the first team defense throughout the first half with Da’Norris Searcy missing the game – it’s not a foregone conclusion that Gaulden is the immediate backup to Searcy – at least not yet.
Josh Klein is Editor-In-Chief of The Riot Report. His favorite Panther of all time is Chad Cota and he once AIM chatted with Kevin Greene. Follow Josh on Twitter @joshkleinrules.