Final Projection of the Panthers' 53-Man Roster
Tomorrow by 4 p.m. EST the Carolina Panthers will have their official 53-man roster finalized ahead of next week's season opener vs the Las Vegas Raiders. With that said, we take one final look at who we believe will make the cut with some provided analysis below!
*Note: Players we believe are locks to make the roster are in bold.
OFFENSE
QB (3): Teddy Bridgewater, Will Grier, P.J. Walker
QB Analysis: Keeping three quarterbacks seems like the right thing to do here. Grier and Walker have both had fairly solid camps and with so many unknowns with this season, it's best to have three on the roster.
RB (4): Christian McCaffrey, Mike Davis, Reggie Bonnafon, Trenton Cannon
RB Analysis: I went back and forth on how many backs the Panthers will keep. My gut says four, but it wouldn't shock me if they only held onto three. McCaffrey is going to eat up the majority of the touches and he's very durable so having a crowded backfield isn't necessary. But like I said, I'm going to stick to my gut feeling on this one.
WR (7): DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Curtis Samuel, Seth Roberts, Pharoh Cooper, Keith Kirkwood, Brandon Zylstra
WR Analysis: Although I don't see him making the initial roster, keep an eye out for wide receiver Cam Phillips. He was P.J. Walker's go-to guy in the XFL and has big time play making ability. Brandon Zylstra is the biggest beneficiary here as he was probably on the outside looking in before UDFA Omar Bayless went down with an injury.
FB (1): Alex Armah
FB Analysis: Armah is the only true fullback on the roster, so this is a given. He has been rock solid during his first three seasons, but look for him to be utilized a little more than in previous years.
TE (3): Ian Thomas, Chris Manhertz, Temarrick Hemingway
TE Analysis: There's nothing too surprising here. These were the three that were expected to make it and I don't see any of the undrafted free agents stealing a spot away from Hemingway - at least not initially.
OT (4): Russell Okung, Taylor Moton, Greg Little, Matt Kaskey
OG (3): Dennis Daley, John Miller, Michael Schofield III
C (2): Matt Paradis, Tyler Larsen
OL Analysis: It seems like there is only one spot on the line up for grabs and I'm going to give it to offensive tackle Matt Kaskey, for now. Chris Reed went on the reserve/COVID list recently, but once he clears that, I believe he will be activated.
Total offensive players: 27
Total locks: 20
DEFENSE
DE (4): Stephen Weatherly, Yetur Gross-Matos, Efe Obada, Zach Kerr
DT (3): Kawann Short, Derrick Brown, Bravvion Roy
DL Analysis: The Panthers seem to be pretty solidified up front. I don't expect there to be any surprises out of this group in terms of unexpected guys making the cut. They'll go seven deep up front, but may make some changes as the season goes along in terms of where each guy will line up.
EDGE (2): Brian Burns, Marquis Haynes
Pass Rusher Analysis: Brian Burns is expected to take a major step in year two. As for Marquis Haynes, he has impressed the coaching staff throughout the entirety of camp and may see more defensive action in 2020 as opposed to solely a special teams guy.
LB (5): Shaq Thompson, Tahir Whitehead, Jermaine Carter Jr., Adarius Taylor, Julian Stanford
Linebacker Analysis: Depth isn't in a great spot here, but the starting unit is in great shape despite not having Luke Kuechly around anymore. Stanford will primarily be a special teams player that can play his way into a defensive role later in the season.
CB (5): Donte Jackson, Eli Apple, Troy Pride Jr., T.J. Green, Stanley Thomas-Oliver
Cornerback Analysis: The cornerback room is the biggest question mark on the entire roster. Is Donte Jackson good enough to be a No. 1 corner? Is Eli Apple good enough to start? Is Troy Pride Jr. going to be ready right away? Can T.J. Green make the transition from safety to corner smoothly? So many concerns heading into next week, which is why I wouldn't be surprised if this unit looks different by season's end.
S (4): Tre Boston, Juston Burris, Jeremy Chinn, Kenny Robinson
Safety Analysis: It's a young, yet promising group. Boston and Burris will be able to lead the way as Chinn and Robinson get their feet wet. Chinn will be game ready week one and will have a pretty significant role on the defense as Robinson will almost certainly have a limited role to begin the year.
Total defensive players: 23
Total locks: 20
SPECIAL TEAMS
K (1): Joey Slye
P (1): Joseph Charlton
LS (1): J.J. Jansen
Special Teams Analysis: Slye will takeover at kicker full-time after Graham Gano was released prior to the start of camp. The punting job has been up for grabs since Michael Palardy went down with a season-ending injury. UDFA Joseph Charlton and recently signed kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik have been battling it out, but Rhule seems to be confident in Charlton.
Total special teams players: 3
Total locks: 2
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