3 Surprising and 3 Not So Surprising Takeways from Panthers' 53-Man Roster
The start of the 2020 regular season is one week from Sunday and the Carolina Panthers have their 53-man roster finalized. Although many of the spots on the roster were all but locked up, there were still a few surprises. Below we look at the three most surprising and three not so surprising takeaways of the freshly released 53-man roster.
Surprising
1. Keeping just three backs - A little shocking that the Panthers decided to move on from Reggie Bonnafon and go with a three back rotation. Bonnafon showed some potential last year in very limited time, but couldn't surpass recently acquired Trenton Cannon. I get what the Panthers are doing here, they're making sure they have enough depth at other positions, but I figured they would keep all four guys and keep McCaffrey as fresh as possible.
2. Cutting DB T.J. Green - Although not a huge name, it was a bit of a shock that Green didn't make the final roster. He had a fairly solid camp and would have given the Panthers more flexibility in the secondary, especially at corner. Rhule said that he liked his length and his size, which is why they decide to move him from safety to corner.
3. Releasing TE Temarrick Hemingway - It appeared as if the Panthers' tight end room was solidified at the top with Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz, but the third spot was still up for grabs. Despite not having a big impact in the offense, Hemingway seemed to be the clear choice given his experience and blocking ability, but instead the Panthers decided to only keep two tight ends on the roster, at least for now.
Not Surprising
Photo courtesy of Panthers.com
1. Keeping three quarterbacks - Matt Rhule has sort of hinted that having three active quarterbacks during a pandemic is going to be beneficial in the long run - you just don't know who will contract the virus. Pandemic aside, Grier and Walker both bring something to the table and have had very solid camps. Rhule also noted that the competition for the backup spot could go into the regular season, so these two will continue to battle week in and week out.
2. Joseph Charlton wins punting job - The Panthers are having to replace Michael Palardy after he was ruled out for the entire 2020 season with a torn ACL. Charlton was the first guy Carolina brought in and right away he was showing some inconsistency, hence the move to add Kaare Vedvik. Vedvik is a versatile player in that he can both kick and punt. The coaching staff likes his ability to do both, but they have expressed confidence in Charlton through his struggles.
3. All 7 draft picks making the cut - Carolina went with an all-defense draft this past spring and Rhule has liked what he has seen from each of his seven selections. It's no question that the early round guys have impressed the coaching staff and will have a pretty significant role in 2020. The late round guys is where you start to wonder if they are ready for regular season action. Fifth round pick Kenny Robinson (S) previously played in the XFL, so he has some professional experience. Sixth rounder Bravvion Roy (DT) played at Baylor under Matt Rhule and Phil Snow, so he understands the defensive philosophy. And finally, 7th rounder Stanley Thomas-Oliver (CB) is playing at a position of need and where the Panthers are extremely thin at.
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