The Most Troubling Thing Revealed in Panthers Preseason Game vs. Bills

The Carolina Panthers' guard play left a lot to be desired during the preseason Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales has a word with an assistant in the second quarter of the game against the Buffalo Bills at the New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were a lot of issues during the Carolina Panthers' lackluster preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills. Concerns along the offensive line are certainly among them.

More specifically, the play from the backup guards left a lot to be desired, as ESPN's Mike Kaye pointed out during the game.

"I'd argue the Panthers' guard depth is significantly more concerning than anything brought up about the tight end depth this year, even before the Darren Waller agreement," he said.

Kaye wasn't the only one to point out that concern, as Jared Feinberg of Cat Crave concurred.

"I think two of my biggest takeaways from the Panthers' second preseason game are that the pass rush flashed and the offensive line needs Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt at guard, especially if the depth keeps playing as they have," Feinberg wrote.

Neither Hunt nor Lewis played in the preseason opener, so better days are ahead for the Panthers at guard. However, the Panthers are not well-protected if either one gets hurt.

That's especially concerning when it comes to Hunt, who missed six games in 2023 for the Miami Dolphins before missing 15 contests for the Panthers last season.

According to the Panthers' unofficial depth chart, it appears that Brady Christensen and Chandler Zavala are the top candidates to be the first players off the bench at guard, as the former is listed behind Hunt at right guard and the latter is behind Lewis at left guard.

According to Pro Football Focus, Zavala gave up one pressure and one sack in his 2026 preseason debut and posted grades of 37.1 in pass protection and 58.7 in run-blocking.

Christensen fared better in the raw numbers after not having given up a single pressure or sack in the contest while posting a 58.7 in run-blocking and 79.7 in pass-blocking. He wasn't terrible, but Christensen wasn't great, either.

That said, Christensen at least gets a pass because of the fact this was his first game back from a torn Achilles. Hopefully he gets better in the weeks ahead and curtails some of the depth concerns the Panthers have at guard.

As for Zavala, there isn't much hope he'll be any better moving forward.