[The Athletic] Top 10 Carolina Panthers camp storylines

[Icege]

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Top 10 storylines according to Joe Person:

• 10. Who will emerge as the returners?
  Raheem Blackshear, Trevor Etienne, and Jimmy Horn Jr all competing put Blackshear's roster spot in jeopardy.
   
• 9. Will Dan Morgan look outside for secondary help?
  Some vets are still out there (ie: Justin Simmons), but Person thinks the like the makeup of the current secondary group and as a result they might not bring in reinforcements. An injury or bad showing could change that.
   
• 8. What's the situation at tight end?
  This was posted before Mabry was signed, but Person did mention Noah Fant as a possibility. Sanders' 33 receptions as a rookie last year were the most by a Panthers tight end since Greg Olsen's 52 catches in his final season with the Panthers. Sanders was on pace for a 44-catch rookie season before flipping onto his head vs. KC. He has since lost 10 pounds since last season and looked faster in OTAs.
   
• 7. Will an Ikem Ekwonu extension get done before the season?
  Person thinks that a logical starting point for negotiations would be AAV of $21M which would put Icky in the top-7, highest-paid players at his position. 
   
• 6. Who wins the kicking competition?
  Rookie Ryan Fitzgerald appears to have an edge over Matthew Wright, who kicked in one game for the Panthers in 2023. Fitzgerald has a much stronger leg than Pineiro, nailing a 59-yard FG vs. GT for the second-longest kick in FSU history.
   
• 5. Will there be enough pass rush?
  Panthers were tied for third fewest sacks in the league last season with 32. A'Shawn Robinson and Jadeveon Clowney both had 5.5 sacks each, the lowest total for the team leader since Na'il Diggs and Damione Lewis finished with 3.5 each in 2007 (those are two names I haven't heard in a looong time). OLB coach Tem Lukabu was replaced with AC Carter and Clowney was released. Welcome Pat Jones II, Nic Scourton, and Princely Umanmielen. Amare Barno was a possibility for starting camp on PUP.
   
• 4. About the defense: Is it going to be better?
  Hard to be much worse. Got gashed in the run game, and that's what Morgan tasked himself with fixing this offseason. Added free-agent pieces to all three levels of the defense as well as took talent in the draft (Scourton, Umanmielen, Lathan Ransom, and Cam Jackson). But the key could be the return of Derrick Brown.
   
• 3. Is Tetairoa McMillan the missing piece for Bryce Young and the offense?
  The offense lacked a big-time playmaker in the passing game, which they had hoped XL would fill. TMac will allow XL to settle in while also providing an impressive catch radius for Young to throw at.
   
• 2. Is Brown ready to return to fill a huge void on the defense?
  The defense started coming apart at the seams after DB tore his meniscus in Week 1, and then came completely undone after losing Shaq Thompson three weeks later to an Achilles injury. After losing two of their best players and leaders on defense last season, Shaq is now off to the Panthers Retirement Center in Buffalo under Sean McDermott's care and Derrick Brown is being cautiously worked back into the fold (got to think that they're a little gunshy after Jonathon Brooks last season).
   
• 1. Is Young poised to take the next step and put the Panthers in contention for a playoff spot?
  Bryce's turn around after benching was so encouraging that the team decided to use their top-10 pick on a receiver rather than a defensive piece for Evero. Canales declared that the Panthers had "our guy" after the 5-TD, OT win against the Falcons and now needs Young to play well from the jump this year if the Panthers hope to end the league's second-longest active playoff drought.

Edited 9 hours ago by Icege

[DJ feed me moore]

thanks for posting here so I don't even have to give the Athletic  a view.

Edited 8 hours ago by DJ feed me moore

[Doc LRB]

This is a great example of how defense coming!!

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/article/panthers-call-quick-end-practice-161205896.html

That flexibility and power showed at the collegiate level, where Umanmielen recorded 25.5 sacks and four forced fumbles over five years. The 2024 campaign saw him notch 10.5 sacks for Ole Miss en route to a first-team All-SEC selection.

 

Carolina Panthers rookie Princely Umanmielen made a strong first impression in the opening outing of training camp on Wednesday. In fact, it may have been a little too strong

[Gapanthersfan]

#11. does XL feel disrespected by the roster moves and take the next step? 

[raleigh-panther]

5 hours ago, DJ feed me moore said:

thanks for posting here so I don't even have to give the Athletic  a view.

Saved you from Joe Person

and…his…. Insights laugh out loud

[Basbear]

11 minutes ago, raleigh-panther said:

Saved you from Joe Person

and…his…. Insights laugh out loud

ugh..... Joe.....Joe person has improved since he left the observer. 

He's still one of the worst question askers and I can not stand his voice over 15 mins. But writing-wise he improved greatly.... 

[Navy_football]

Not a popular opinion, but if Renfrow is back to form he's the best WR on the team. I said what I said.

[Beast_3000]

7 hours ago, Gapanthersfan said:

#11. does XL feel disrespected by the roster moves and take the next step? 

When I read the list I was looking for XL. In my opinion that has to be top 5. He is faster than every receiver on the team and probably stronger than any receiver.  If he  catches with his hands and he has fixed his drop issue the league better beware.