Analysis: Panthers end preseason with running backs squarely on the roster bubble
The truest test of NFL fan loyalty?
The faithful few who willingly attend a team’s fourth preseason game.
It’s such a stress test because there is no Cam Newton — literally, he wasn’t even on the Panthers’ sideline on Thursday at Bank of America Stadium. But Christian McCaffrey doesn’t play, nor does Luke Kuechly, nor Greg Olsen, nor any offensive linemen, nor...
You get the point.
But the utility in that preseason finale is that it’s the night jobs are won and lost. There are players who walked off the field after the Panthers’ 25-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with a little extra oomph in their steps, a renewed dash of confidence that they’ll be among the final 53. They’re the ones who made the one-handed catches, who delivered drive-stifling tackles. And as a result, they hope they won’t have to make that painfully long walk to general manager Marty Hurney’s office in the next two days.
Like Reggie Bonnafon, for instance. The former college quarterback/running back/wide receiver has been competing for one of the backup spots behind Christian McCaffrey, and his game is best-described as McCaffrey-lite. He’s not the most physical guy at just 6-foot and 215 pounds, but he’s shifty and has a knack for catching the ball. Thursday, he flashed as both a return man and receiving back.
“I think it works into my favor,” Bonnafon said of being able to play special teams and offense. “I’m just continuing to learn (about the return game). I’m still continuing to get a good feel for it. Today was my first day really getting live reps at it, so I’ll just continue to get better at it.”
He ended the night with just two carries for 7 yards, but more impressively, three catches for 46 more, punctuated by a juggling one-handed snag in the first quarter across the middle of the field.
“I couldn’t tell you (what happened that play),” Bonnafon said with a grin. “That just happens. I saw the ball, I stuck my hand out there. I just know I didn’t want it on the ground.”
FOWLER: The Panthers’ preseason is finally over – time to see what Carolina really has
There’s also Joey Slye, the “swole kicker” who is as much a beneficiary of his own play as he is the Panthers’ circumstance. A league source told the Observer that there is a “possibility” the team places veteran kicker Graham Gano on injured reserve, which would make him eligible to return in eight weeks. There’s also the option of keeping two kickers on the roster for a few weeks until Gano’s plant-leg injury heals.
Gano spoke to reporters postgame but did not give any timetable for how close he is to returning to action. “I’m always going to keep a positive attitude no matter what’s going on, and I’m confident in my abilities,” Gano said. “Just got to get back to full strength so I can get back to making field goals.”
Either way, Slye seems destined to make this team.
And why shouldn’t he? His first field-goal attempt Thursday was blocked (through no fault of his own), and then he calmly drilled a 59-yarder in the second quarter — with room to spare. That makes him 7-for-8 throughout the preseason, with three makes of longer than 50 yards.
“I was real happy for Joey, and Joey’s got a tremendous story,” coach Ron Rivera said. “He just came in on a whim — we needed to bring a guy in, and he was there — and he came in and just killed it in his workout. He’s been good ever since.
“It would be very tough (to leave him off the roster).”
But for the fortunate handful of players such as Bonnafon and Slye who walked off the field feeling optimistic, there were dozens more experiencing the opposite. That’s the harsh reality of NFL roster cuts, which must be completed by 4 p.m. Saturday.
This will be the final football game many of these players ever play. Dead dreams, dashed hopes.
Every NFL team has those players, but that doesn’t make this weekend any harder.
And then, there’s the final group — the uncertain. Those who have a chance. Those who maybe-who-knows-might-could-possibly make the roster. Those with two long, long days of waiting ahead.
Dipping back to the running backs, that applies to fifth-round rookie Jordan Scarlett. He missed the team’s first preseason game with a back injury, and he’s been compensating for that since. He has the size and speed the team would like to complement McCaffrey; someone who could feasibly handle some short-yardage and goal-line carries.
He scored his first NFL touchdown Thursday, an eight-yard catch from reserve quarterback Taylor Heinicke, but he also didn’t overwhelm in the running game. He averaged just 2 yards per carry on 11 attempts, and his longest run didn’t eclipse 9 yards. He does have developmental potential, though, if the Panthers want to take the time and invest in him as a project.
Or how about defensive end Efe Obada? His moving story won over Panthers fans last season, and he made good on his potential with a breakout game against the Bengals in Week 3. But as the team has transitioned to more 3-4 defensive fronts, Obada has slipped down the depth chart. He could be the odd man out if the team elects to keep two kickers.
“You look at the guys where the pass rush is concerned, and Efe Obada, from our perspective, was controlling the line very nicely for our guys up front,” Rivera said.
There are plenty in that same boat: Receiver Terry Godwin, nickel Corn Elder, defensive tackle Vernon Butler Jr., running back Cameron Artis-Payne ... the list goes on.
For all of them, only one thing is certain: The slow burn of one more night’s waiting.
This story was originally published August 29, 2019 at 10:07 PM.
