Who will be the Panthers’ starters on offense? Let’s project the depth chart
The Carolina Panthers offense in 2021 has a new look.
Despite offensive coordinator Joe Brady entering his second year in the role, there is a new starting quarterback in town, different weapons at wide receiver and tight end and more shake-ups to the offensive line.
The goal is to get the tight ends more involved in the passing game, especially in the middle of the field, and to better protect the quarterback. The Panthers’ offense was hampered last season by Christian McCaffrey playing in only three games, and just his presence alone will provide a dramatic improvement of quality.
With the first week of training camp in the books with two days of pads, the first full look at the team is underway. The Panthers are still trying out a variety of combinations at all positions and much more will be learned as the team continues to practice, in the preseason games that start in less than two weeks and the joint practices with the Ravens and Colts.
With that in mind, clear starters have begun to reveal itself. This is our early depth chart projection of the Panthers offense based on what the team has done in training camp thus far. Reserves indicate players likely to make the roster or high up in the battle to do so. Roster hopefuls have more work to do. This will continue to change as training camp and the preseason games go on.
The defensive portion will follow Friday.
Let’s break it down.
Quarterback
▪ Starter: Sam Darnold
▪ Reserves: Will Grier, P.J. Walker
Grier and then Walker, Walker and then Grier; the backup job could go either way. Darnold is cemented as the starter, but that’s the only guarantee when it comes to the position on the roster. Coach Matt Rhule has not committed to keeping three quarterbacks, as the team did last year, although it is beneficial due to the unknowns that come with COVID-19.
Grier gets the spot ahead of Walker on this depth chart because he’s been playing better lately in camp. Both have spent time practicing with the second- and third-team. Walker has had some trouble with accuracy, while Grier has looked more in command and shown off improvement in throwing on the run. This battle will become increasingly clear with the preseason games.
Running back
▪ Starter: Christian McCaffrey.
▪ Reserves: Reggie Bonnafon, Chuba Hubbard, Rodney Smith
▪ Roster hopefuls: Mikey Daniel, Darius Clark, Spencer Brown.
The battle for the backup running back spot is on in full force. While the role will come down to Bonnafon, Hubbard and Smith, there is not yet a definitive leader. Bonnafon has put together a couple of nice practices recently, which is why he’s got the spot right now. Hubbard did have a fumble, but he is coming off of injury and continuing to develop. Smith is someone to keep an eye on. He’s shown the burst that earned him a roster spot towards the end of last season
Trenton Cannon is also on the roster as a running back, however, he has not practiced with the group at all. He’s spent some time with the receivers but is primarily a special teams player.
Fullback
▪ Starter: Rod Smith
Smith was added Thursday after the team waived undrafted fullback Mason Stokke the day prior. Rhule said that the team does not necessarily need to have a fullback on the final 53-man roster and this will likely come down to a numbers game and how Smith performs.
Wide receiver
▪ Starters: DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall (slot).
▪ Reserves: Brandon Zylstra, David Moore, Keith Kirkwood
▪ Roster hopefuls: Omar Bayless, Ishmael Hyman, Shi Smith, Micah Simon, C.J. Saunders, Marken Michel, Krishawn Hogan.
The final roster spot at the wide receiver position is arguably going to be the toughest spot on the roster to earn.
The three starting wide receivers are clear — DJ Moore, Anderson and Marshall. The surprise has been the play of David Moore, a slot receiver signed as a free agent after his time with the Seattle Seahawks. Moore has been practicing with the third team, but he did have a good practice Thursday.
Bayless is the player that has stood out over the last couple of practices. He’s made a couple of solid catches after missing all of last season due to being placed on injured reserve during training camp. Special teams ability will likely be a factory in deciding the final spots.
Tight end
▪ Starter: Dan Arnold.
▪ Reserves: Ian Thomas, Tommy Tremble
▪ Roster hopefuls: Colin Thompson, Giovanni Ricci, Stephen Sullivan.
The Darnold-to-Arnold connection is already looking good. The Panthers needed a tight end that the quarterback could trust and Darnold has been finding Arnold often. He has made difficult catches consistently and looks to be a good free-agent signing.
Thomas also practices with the first team but continues to be less of a threat as a receiver. Thompson will have the best opportunity to make the roster as a special teams contributor.
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Offensive line
▪ Left tackle: Cam Erving, Trent Scott, Greg Little, Taylor Moton, Martez Ivey, Aaron Monteiro.
▪ Left guard: Pat Elflein, Dennis Daley, Mike Horton.
▪ Center: Matt Paradis, Sam Tecklenburg, Elflein, Mike Panasiuk.
▪ Right guard: John Miller, Deonte Brown, David Moore.
▪ Right tackle: Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Scott, Matt Kaskey.
Through the first week of the camp, the first-team offensive line hasn’t changed, aside from using the same personnel in a variety of combinations. Moton on the left, Scott on both sides of the line and Little with the second-team offense. Of any of the offensive positions, the line is the standout candidate for a work in progress. Not much was going to be determined before the pads came on and the team went into camp with the expectation of trying out different combinations on the line.
Erving has held steady as the starter at left tackle, and while has gotten reps at the position, those have been limited. This is the main area to watch over the next couple of weeks.
Kicker
▪ Starter: Joey Slye
He’s the only one on the roster and is making almost all of his kicks in camp. Next.
Punter
▪ Starter: Joe Charlton
The other punter at training camp, Oscar Draguicevich III, was waived Thursday before practice. Rhule said they have been happy with how Charlton has played and indicated another punter would not be brought into camp.
Long snapper
▪ Starter: Thomas Fletcher
▪ Roster hopeful: J.J. Jansen
This isn’t really based on much training camp practice. It’s hard for the observing eye to judge a long snapping battle. Jansen has also acted as a stand-in center when the offensive line is working to the side and the quarterbacks need someone to snap the ball.
This comes down to the fact that the Panthers invested a draft pick in Fletcher, something the team wouldn’t have done if he had no chance to make the 53-man roster — and Carolina isn’t going to carry two long snappers. He still has to prove he can be as valuable to the team as Jansen, 35, who is the longest-tenured player on the roster.
This story was originally published August 5, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
