Defensive Line (6): KK Short, Dontari Poe, Gerald McCoy, Vernon Butler, Kyle Love, Efe Obada, Vernon Butler’s spot is still tenuous, especially after missing a chunk of practice and last week’s game, but unless the Panthers see something on waivers they like, they can probably use the depth up front that the former first-rounder can provide. I still think Obada – especially after his effort plays led to sacks last week in New England and he led the team in defensive snaps – will make the roster if everyone else stays healthy. If the Panthers need to carry another cornerback or offensive lineman that won’t be ready for Week 1, Obada’s roster spot may be at risk.
Edge Rushers/Outside Linebackers (5): Bruce Irvin, Mario Addison, Brian Burns, Marquis Haynes, Christian Miller. This is still the easiest position group to predict – the question is less about who will make the roster and more about whether the Panthers will use a three or four man rotation on the outside. Burns has looked transcendent this preseason – albeit sometimes against lower-tier opponents and Miller is still raw, so it will be tough for him to earn a jersey most weeks – that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good depth piece as a rookie and can have some value down the line.
Inside Linebackers (5): Luke Kuechly, Shaq Thompson, Andre Smith, Jermaine Carter, Jr, Jared Norris. The Panthers still really like Carter and Smith as inside linebacker depth and Jared ‘X’ Norris has recovered from a poor outing in preseason Week 1; forcing a fumble against Buffalo and being the special teams leader they’re expecting him to be.
Secondary (9): Donte Jackson, James Bradberry, Eric Reid, Tre Boston, Colin Jones, Ross Cockrell, Rashaan Gaulden, Javien Elliott, Kevon Seymour. With Seymour returning to practice this week, if he can play in Pittsburgh, that will likely cement his spot as a depth piece for this team that likes the way he can play on the outside – Seymour can also play on the inside, where it would appear that Javien Elliott has a small lead over Corn Elder to be the starting nickel, but that situation is still very much up in the air. It will likely come down to the final day to decide whether it’s Elder or Elliott that snags the final roster spot. If Seymour isn’t healthy enough, look for both Elliott and Elder to make the team.
“We’ve got a few guys we feel very strongly about and we’ll see it unfold in this final game. These guys are doing a great job, they’re competing and we’ll see how it happens come Thursday.”
-Ron Rivera on the nickel cornerback competitiong
Specialists (3): Mike Palardy, Graham Gano, JJ Jansen. Gano is still the kicker – for now. The possibility of Gano starting the year on IR is a real one now that Gano hasn’t been able to kick since the beginning of August – it would cost the Panthers more than $2m in dead cap space to let the kicker go before the season starts. It might make more sense to stash him on injured reserve, let Joey Slye kick for the first eight weeks of the season and if Gano recovers by midseason, they can activate him – if they’re not happy with Slye as the full-time kicker.
“We’re just waiting on Graham to see how things are going, but Joey will kick as well. We’re in a good situation right now and we’re going to just let it play itself out. We’re going to go into this trying to figure out what’s best for Graham and what’s best for us as we prepare for the season….He’s been a part of what we’ve done for several years and he’s one of the quality kickers in this league and we’ve just got to kind of wait and see.”
-Ron Rivera
Practice Squad: Joey Slye, Corn Elder, Jordan Kunasczyk, Reggie Bonnafon, Brandon Greene, Temarrick Hemingway, Andre Levrone, Cole Luke, Taylor Hearn, Woodrow Hamilton.
Cutting Holyfield would be a mistake. The guy runs hard and is a beast. Speed is nice most of the time but sometimes you need to fight for yards on 3rd and short or at the goaline. Plus, Holyfield looks like he can pass protect and Lord knows Cam needs some protection. I agree with you though, I think they are going to cut him. Personnel decisions such as these will be the reason that Rivera doesn’t make it past this year with the Panthers. Which stinks, because I like Rivera. CAP isn’t the answer to anything. They need to cut their losses.