Man-for-Man Battles
These six spaces come down to four position battles; at quarterback, defensive tackle with two at cornerback and offensive line. The backup quarterback battle currently looks to be between Garrett Gilbert and Taylor Heinicke, and while the Panthers may end up going after a free agent if they feel the need, of the options on the roster, Gilbert is the leader going into training camp at least. The left guard battle is expected to be one of the hottest of this year’s training camp, with Amini Silatolu, Jeremiah Sirles, Greg Van Roten, Taylor Moton, Tyler Larsen and maybe even one or two of the undrafted free agents competing for the starting role. While some of those are more likely than others, it would be a shock not to see two of Silatolu, Sirles or Van Roten make the roster at the minimum – my early prediction would be Sirles and Silatolu.
The defensive tackle battle is an interesting one, as Kyle Love has been a more than serviceable rotation piece over the past few seasons, but Kendrick Norton looked to be too good to pass on in the seventh round; the Panthers will likely find themselves in the enviable situation of having to chose between two good players. Love is likely leading going into camp, but Norton could make himself a hard cut with a couple of big plays, something his college career certainly wasn’t short on; Norton gets the slightest of edges here.The cornerback battle is something of a complex one, as the battles for the nickel and outside spots are superficially distinct but highly related in practice – Munnerlyn didn’t exactly win any fans with his play last season, but his cap number will make him hard to move on from unless he is drastically outplayed. Elder and Seymour both have a chance at the nickel spot, Elder especially, but unlike Munnerlyn, they will likely also gets snaps outside, and in that regard at least the two battles are related. If Seymour were to win the nickel spot then Lorenzo Doss could also be an option on the outside. With all that said, Munnerlyn and Seymour are the likely winners as of right now.
The Edge
The remaining six spots could in theory go to any position group, but there are certainly some leading early candidates. If healthy by the end of the preseason, Chris Manhertz could well return as a third tight end, Damiere Byrd also has a spot to lose at receiver, and another offensive lineman, linebacker and even defensive lineman are all strong options. That is not to say that the team definitely won’t carry a third quarterback, a fourth running back or another defensive back, but that it would be unusual for the team to go into the regular season so thin at linebacker, tight end and on the offensive line and that receiver and defensive line have such depth of talent that they will likely win the battle for any free spots should the team continue its strategy of taking the best player regardless of position for the final couple of spots. The final spot on the roster, as with a season ago with Demetrious Cox, will almost certainly go on whoever the Panthers like of those who make it to waivers in early September, with quarterback being the leading area of interest.
Efe Obada
The loser of the defensive tackle battle will likely compete with Efe Obada for the defensive line spot, with Obada having reportedly made great strides over the past year. While that defensive tackle room is extremely strong, if Obada can show that his arrow if very much pointing up then he might have the edge, especially if he finds himself facing off against the older Love. The offensive line spot is so convoluted at this point that prediction is approaching roulette in terms of probability, but given the number of UDFAs brought in, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of the make it through – very early looks and comments suggest Brendan Mahon. Linebacker is another position that will come down to rookie vs veteran, with Andre Smith looking to push Jared Norris and Ben Jacobs for the roster spot. Smith has a real chance here, and is a likely option for a practice squad if he doesn’t make the roster, but Jared Norris should be seen as the leader as of right now.
Ladies and Gentlemen, that makes 53. There is a lot that can (and likely will) change during training camp, and there are a further ten practice squad spots that are up for grabs as well as spots on rosters all around the league, but while much has yet to be decided on the fields at Spartanburg, a surprising amount has likely been set in stone already. Here’s the earliest of early depth charts for the roster I just described – don’t forget there’s one spot available for someone who is cut from another team – call it the “Demetrious Cox Spot”.
