There are lots of things you expect to hear in a press conference with an NFL head coach during an NFL training camp: surprise camp performers, early impressions of rookies and new signings along with comments about how hot and humid Spartanburg summers are….but in 2020, a lot of things are different. The Panthers aren’t in Spartanburg for a start, and there was a throwaway line from Matt Rhule’s press conference a few weeks ago that certainly isn’t something you’d expect to hear during a normal offseason.
“I mean, we’re telling guys ‘hey, if you’ve ever played offense before, we’re going to do five minutes of offensive [drills] with you’,” said Rhule. “In a year with COVID where you might have to build from within, we’re approaching this not even like a college football team, like a high school football team in terms of…the more you can do, the more you can do.”
And then there was this drill during Tuesday’s practice, with Panthers on both sides of the ball practicing their ball security:
To be very clear, I’m not saying that this is going to happen – the Panthers should hope against hope that they aren’t called upon to use any of these players in such a way, but the fact that Rhule is actually considering such possibilities is testament both to how weird the 2020 season is likely to be, and to the diligence with which the Panthers’ coaches are approaching this very unusual situation.
So, with that in mind, let’s have some fun. Which players might be able to cover another position should the Panthers need to fill a depth chart on short notice?
Shaq Thompson, Running Back
A Natural Fit: This is probably the most obvious example, with Thompson having played running back fairly extensively during his final season at Washington, rushing for over 450 yards and a couple of touchdowns at a rate of over seven yards-per-carry while also adding a little over 50 yards on four receptions. This is hardly the resumé of a high-round running back prospect, but that is not what Thompson would be asked to be – if there is an outbreak in the running back room and they needed somebody to step in in short notice, Thompson would be a prime candidate to take over some of the workload.
Film Room: As a ballcarrier, Thompson isn’t the most explosive, but he showed surprisingly good vision for a player new to the role – and he has the power one would expect of a linebacker playing running back with enough speed to break the long run here and there. No, he’s not Christian McCaffrey, but nobody is – Thompson would be at least competent of holding things down for a week if needs be.
Brian Burns, Tight End
Position Scarcity: The Panthers aren’t exactly loaded at tight end and while Ian Thomas has a real chance to kick on after largely being a depth piece through two seasons, behind him, there really aren’t a lot of receiving options in the tight end room.
Film Room: While Burns has no offensive experience, what he does have is a freakish athletic profile. At 6-5, 255 pounds with a sub 4.55 40 yard dash and a 36″ vertical, Burns would certainly cause nightmares for defenses trying to match up with him. While his blocking is likely to be pretty shoddy and his route running pretty raw, if you can get him out in space and get him running in straight lines, he is going to cause all sorts of issues.
Oh, and as he showed last year, he has pretty good hand-eye coordination – even if he isn’t the next DJ Moore, he probably should be able to grab at least some of what is thrown his way:
Donte Jackson, Wide Receiver
Speed Kills: When you run a 4.32 40 yard dash, there are going to be ways you can help an offense – while Donte Jackson is another who has no experience of note playing the other side of the ball and isn’t going to make any waves as a route runner, he could almost certainly add some value by lining up in the slot, running vertically and using his speed to create enough cushion to generate separation breaking back to the ball.
While Ted Ginn, Jr. developed into a more complete player as his career went on, he was still able to generate a fairly significant amount of value simply with his speed, and if the Panthers do find themselves without the likes of Curtis Samuel, Robby Anderson or Pharaoh Cooper, Jackson would be a logical candidate to step up.
He might even get to add to his career point total:
Alex Armah, Defensive End
Converted Back To Defense: Armah is another player who played both ways in college, playing both linebacker and defensive end at West Georgia and doing so well enough to earn All-Conference honors. He had 188 career tackles, 41.5 of which were for loss in addition to 17.5 sacks and an interception.
Now, there is a huge difference between West Georgia and the NFL, but if the Panthers do lose an edge rusher (or three) to either injury or COVID, Armah’s ability to line up on the edge from time to time could well come in handy, and while he might not be able to do much of a Brian Burns impression rushing the passer (and Burns likely can’t do an Armah impression at fullback), he might just be able to hold the edge against the run.
Others Receiving Votes: Reggie Bonnafon played quarterback for two seasons at Louisville before some bloke called Lamar Jackson turned up, CMC could probably play pretty much anywhere off the ball on defense, and converted receiver Stan Thomas-Oliver could always convert back….but the four players above probably represent the four best – or at least the four most interesting – options that the Panthers’ coaching staff might be considering.
Although, if we’re being honest, I think we’d all like to see Derrick Brown in the backfield.
