Panthers mailbag: Is a trade for an inside linebacker in Carolina’s future?
The Carolina Panthers have completed the first five practices of their annual training camp. And naturally, their fans are curious about the progress of the team heading into the dog days of summer.
So, The Observer has brought back the Panthers mailbag to answer some noteworthy inquiries from the Carolina faithful on social media.
Panthers mailbag: Linebacker reinforcements on the way?
Prez asks: Will the Panthers trade for a linebacker?
This question was sent to the mailbag in multiple forms this past weekend, but I appreciated Prez’s straight-to-the-point brevity.
The Panthers should — and likely will — keep an eye on the linebacker trade market throughout training camp and the preseason. While they have other needs, and probably like their linebacker group more than most outsiders do, the team, at minimum, should be doing everything it can — within reason — to upgrade the depth at the position.
Losing Josey Jewell will hurt from a football IQ standpoint. He knew the defense inside and out, and he was a good leader among his peers. But this beat writer believes his performance was more up and down last season than his stat line implies. He was particularly pedestrian during the first month of last year’s campaign, and outside of a few games — namely the dramatic win against the New York Giants in Munich, Germany — he was just fine. The improved defensive line would have helped him rebound his performance most likely, but the drop off from Jewell to Christian Rozeboom doesn’t seem particularly steep (if at all).
Rozeboom will be the defense’s primary signal-caller after a breakout year with the Los Angeles Rams in 2024. Rozeboom collected 135 tackles, a sack, four pass breakups and an interception in 17 games (11 starts) last season. He will work with 2024 third-round pick Trevin Wallace in base formations for the Panthers.
Rozeboom had a strong veteran minicamp. While Wallace has a considerably more intriguing upside profile, Rozeboom could be a logical thumper to complement Wallace’s range in the middle of the field.
Beyond Wallace and Rozeboom, though, the depth is mostly made up of special teams aces and undrafted rookies. Jon Rhattigan and Claudin Cherelus don’t have significant defensive reps on their resumes, and both Bam Martin-Scott and Tuasivi Nomura were passed over several times by every team in the league. While the team likes all four guys, they could stand to upgrade over them.
The Panthers will need to make tough cuts at wideout. The offensive and defensive lines should have excess talent as well. Perhaps Carolina could try to pull off a similar trade to the one that landed starting cornerback Mike Jackson last summer. There are teams that need center, wideout and defensive tackle help.
Could the Panthers flip one of their players at those positions for a linebacker? Probably. The Panthers have joint workouts scheduled with the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans, and general manager Dan Morgan could try to strike a deal with either team if they like what they see from the expendable talent.
The free-agent market is pretty empty on worthwhile upgrades, so trading for a younger linebacker (read: under 30) with an intriguing pedigree would be ideal. Bringing in aging journeymen like Eric Kendricks (33) and De’Vondre Campbell (32) doesn’t seem advantageous at this point. The Panthers haven’t shown a desire to sign players of that ilk during this offseason anyway.
Tight end hype: fact or fiction?
Zachary Logue asks: Is the Panthers’ staff as confident in (Ja’Tavion) Sanders as fans are? Really hoping to see a monster year from him.
Sanders returned to Carolina in phenomenal shape this offseason. Following Saturday’s practice, Sanders said he weighed roughly 255 pounds as rookie. He has since dropped down to 238 pounds by eating better and working out more effectively. He credited former Panthers tight end Jordan Matthews for teaching him how to eat and prepare like a professional.
Dating back to OTAs and minicamp, Sanders has looked more muscular and leaner. He has made a few nice plays in the early goings of training camp, and his upside as a “move” tight end is evident. He’s going to be partnered with rookie Mitchell Evans throughout camp until Tommy Tremble is ready to return from his back procedure. For the second year in a row, Sanders should get the lion’s share of the tight end reps and benefit from that extra attention.
So far, the feedback internally has been optimistic. The joint practices against the Browns and Texans and the three-game preseason should give everyone a better indication of what Sanders is capable of. To this point, there has been just one padded practice.
Sanders set a franchise rookie receiving yards record last season. He accomplished that feat pretty quickly and was on a roll before he injured his neck against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12. If Sanders can return to form, he will continue to put up strong numbers. He’s not Greg Olsen, but he could mature into a go-to target for Bryce Young this year and beyond.
The upside is there; Sanders simply needs to execute to his ability.
Hunter Renfrow stock watch
BYTime asks: With the recent highlights in camp, how comfortable do you feel that (Hunter) Renfrow is going to make the initial 53?
Renfrow has turned this naysayer into a believer this summer.
When he signed after the draft, there was a general feeling that he could be this year’s Rashaad Penny. But through five practices, he’s not only been able to hang with his peers but outperform them almost daily. Jalen Coker seemed like the heir apparent to Adam Thielen entering the offseason program, but Renfrow has quickly outshined last year’s undrafted darling. Renfrow is a notably savvy route runner, and his understated speed has been impressive. He’s making the most of basically every rep he receives.
The Panthers are going to need to make some tough cuts at the position, but if Renfrow keeps this up, he’s going to force younger players off the roster. David Moore, a staff favorite, should also be a bit concerned about Renfrow’s renaissance.
If training camp ended today, Renfrow would be squarely on the 53-man roster, even with his lack of special teams luster. He’s just performing too well to be cut. Ultimately, though, how he performs over the next three weeks will mean a lot more than how he did in the first five practices.
Second-year WR tracker
Mike Winn asks: There’s a lot of people worried about Jalen Coker. How is he looking? How are Xavier Legette’s hands looking?
Coker was sidelined for a portion of the offseason program with a soft tissue injury. He returned to team drills toward the end of the mandatory minicamp before the summer break. So far during training camp, Coker has simply been a cog in an upgraded and crowded wide receiver room.
I’m not sure if the concern is due to his injury history — soft tissue injuries also impacted Coker’s rookie season — or his standing on the roster. He’s a cost-effective player with playmaking upside, which is ideal for a team looking to contend long term. However, the Panthers have quite a few of those guys behind starters Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette and Thielen.
Renfrow has clearly outplayed Coker early on, but it’s still, you know, early.
Coker’s performance, though, has been on par with the rest of the combatants in the depth spots. While Jimmy Horn Jr. is a draft pick who has shown uncanny quickness, Coker has been in the offense for more than a year.
If Coker is truly competing for his job, his competition for a spot in the top six is Horn, Moore and undrafted rookies, Jacolby George and Kobe Hudson. He’s holding firm in that race in his beat writer’s opinion.
Legette has caught the ball cleanly and consistently in camp. He’s clearly worked on his hands and concentration this summer. It’s also helped that Young and Andy Dalton have been particularly accurate when targeting receivers on crossing routes, as Legette’s best route is probably a slant out of the Z position (rewatch the first month or so of his rookie season before Diontae Johnson was traded).
Legette is going to be used quite a bit this year.
While the Panthers need to figure out how often they’ll use Thielen and Renfrow, it’s pretty clear that they want McMillan and Legette to lead the charge now and for the foreseeable future. Legette will benefit from being the No. 2 wideout in the lineup, as his struggling stretch last year came when he moved to the X position and had to be the top target in the passing game.
