Breaking Down the Carolina Panthers Week 1 Depth Chart
Monday evening, the Carolina Panthers released an unofficial depth chart for this week's matchup vs the Las Vegas Raiders. At first glance, there's nothing that really jumps off the page, but there are a few things that are intriguing.
Four rookies named starters
Photo courtesy of Panthers.com
This should come as no surprise as Carolina used each pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on the defensive side. DT Derrick Brown was probably the only sure-fire starter and will anchor the middle of the defensive line alongside Kawann Short. DE Yetur Gross-Matos is currently listed ahead of Stephen Weatherly which is a little shocking considering Gross-Matos still has some room to grow in the run stopping department. With the injury to veteran corner Eli Apple, fourth rounder Troy Pride Jr. will be pushed into the starting lineup probably a little sooner than anticipated, but the coaching staff feels confident in his abilities. Safety/linebacker Jeremy Chinn is listed at both right outside linebacker and free safety, but will almost certainly be one of the starting 11 come Sunday.
New faces in backup roles
Cornerback Rasul Douglas was claimed off of waivers Sunday from the Eagles and is already slated as the backup to rookie Troy Pride Jr. With the experience Douglas brings to the table, he may be someone the Panthers count on early in the year as Pride goes through some growing pains filling in for Eli Apple. Offensive tackle Trent Scott was also one of the Panthers' Sunday waivers pickups and is going to backup Taylor Moton at right tackle. Scott really struggled in pass protection last year, allowing eight sacks in just 827 offensive snaps. He is a work in progress and at the moment, is a depth player at most.
Backup QB still up for grabs
Head coach Matt Rhule mentioned the possibility of letting Will Grier and P.J. Walker continue to battle for the backup role last week and today said that the decision will go to offensive coordinator Joe Brady and quarterbacks coach Jake Peetz. Rhule also stated that this could be a week-to-week battle, but would like to have a QB2 locked in at some point during the season. Despite not winning the role just yet, I believe Grier has the upper hand on Walker.
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