QB - Bryce, Andy Dalton
RB - Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, Raheem Blackshear, Mike Boone
WR (7!) - Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, Jonathan Mingo, Xavier Legette, Terrace Marshall Jr., David Moore, Jalen Coker
Analysis: Johnson, Thielen and Mingo have all had strong summers. Johnson looks like a true No. 1 wideout, while Thielen has continued to be Mr. Reliable in the slot. Mingo, last year’s second-round pick, has taken a massive step forward in his second summer with the Panthers, and he will still be a very big contributor, even with the first-round selection of Legette. Speaking of the Day 1 draft pick, Legette battled through a foot injury for the majority of the preseason. However, this past week, he looked fast running routes down the field in practice. Look for Legette to be peppered into the offense early before taking over one of the top three roles by October — or at worst, November.
Marshall has had a phenomenal performance during training camp. After three years of performance setbacks, Marshall has shown the upside of his second-round pick pedigree. The issue for him, and really Carolina, is that he is still probably fifth in the wideout pecking order, and he doesn’t really play on special teams. Look for the Panthers to shop Marshall on the trade market after they showcased him in the second half of Saturday’s preseason finale. Even if the Panthers keep Marshall — potentially due to a lack of trade interest — look for Moore to also stick around. Moore, who can play all three receiver positions, is a longtime Canales pupil, and he has had a nice summer. Plus, Moore plays on special teams and can return kicks and punts — which makes him valuable as a deep-depth wideout. If the Panthers go heavy on wideout with Marshall staying, Coker would probably get the call to stay over receiver/return Ihmir Smith-Marsette, as the team could save $1 million in cap space by moving on from the returner/receiver. With Blackshear sticking as the primary kick returner, the Panthers would also probably be less inclined to keep another returner-first offensive player among the wide receiver group. Coker hasn’t really lived up to the considerable hype that the internet draft community has bestowed on him, but he still has plenty of upside due to his size and small-school learning curve. Carolina likely to doesn’t want to expose Coker to waivers — especially after his promising performance against the Bills in the preseason finale
TE - Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Ian Thomas, Jordan Matthews
OL - Ikem Ekwonu (LT), Damien Lewis (LG), Austin Corbett (C), Robert Hunt (RG), Taylor Moton (RT), Brady Christensen, Cade Mays, Chandler Zavala, Yosh Nijman
DL - Derrick Brown, Shy Tuttle, A’Shawn Robinson, Nick Thurman, T.J. Smith
IR: Jaden Crumedy (ankle)
ILB - Shaq Thompson, Josey Jewell, Trevin Wallace, Claudin Cherelus, Chandler Wooten
IR: Tae Davis
EDGE - Jadeveon Clowney, D.J. Johnson, Eku Leota, K’Lavon Chaisson
IR: Cam Gill (hand/ankle)
PUP: D.J. Wonnum (quad), Amare Barno (knee)
CB - Jaycee Horn, Troy Hill, Michael Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, D’Shawn Jamison
IR (designated for return): Dane Jackson (hamstring)
SAF - Xavier Woods, Jordan Fuller, Nick Scott, Alex Cook, Demani Richardson
IR (designated for return): Sam Franklin (foot)
ST - JJ Jansen (LS), Johnny Hekker (P), Eddy Piñeiro (K)
noticed that as well
