Five Carolina Panthers competitions to monitor during organized team activities
The reigning NFC South champs wanted to inject improved competition into their roster this offseason. And after a free agency spending spree and a promising draft haul, the Carolina Panthers’ brass is hoping to stage (at least) a handful of meaningful competitions during the ongoing offseason program, training camp and the preseason.
The Panthers could see a youth movement at several spots on the roster. At least four of their draft picks will get some sort of chance to compete for a top job at their respective positions. With organized team activities (OTAs) slated to begin next week, those youngsters and their older competition will get opportunities to make big impressions in drills.
Here are five positional battles to monitor entering OTAs:
Left tackle: First-round pick vs. free-agent addition
Monroe Freeling has a lot to learn about the NFL game. But the Panthers didn’t select him 19th overall to give him a redshirt year of development. Freeling will battle Rasheed Walker, a free-agent addition, for the starting left tackle job with Ickey Ekwonu (patellar tendon) sidelined after major knee surgery.
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Frankly, Freeling should be given every opportunity to win the starting job with Walker signed to a one-year deal with a base value of $4 million. Ekwonu is going to take a while to return to form (if at all), and Freeling is the future of the line.
If the rookie can win the job outright, he will get to take his lumps with consistent reps in Year 1.
Center: Three-way matchup with upside
The Panthers’ left tackle and center battles are somewhat similar. They both feature incoming veterans who will need to hold off draft picks throughout the summer.
Journeyman Luke Fortner is an experienced starter looking to find a permanent home in Carolina. His main competition will be fifth-round pick Sam Hecht, whom most analysts considered a steal of a selection by the Panthers. Nick Samac, a 2025 holdover, will also get to weigh in to the competition throughout the summer.
While Fortner might be the favorite on paper, Hecht’s lack of versatility might actually make him the better option to work the middle of the line as a starter. Carolina has limited guard depth and Fortner has experience working at center and guard as a starter and a backup.
Wide receiver: Speedster vs. the former top pick
The Panthers added to their wideout depth chart this offseason. They signed John Metchie in free agency and selected Chris Brazzell in the third round of April’s draft.
Brazzell, in particular, appears to be the biggest threat to former first-round pick Xavier Legette’s standing in the starting lineup. Legette will need to hold off the tall, lanky speedster during the summer by stepping up in individual and team drills.
Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker are at the top of the wide receiver totem pole. While Brazzell, Legette and Metchie could all stick to the game-day depth chart, the trio of young receivers will battle for regular reps on Sundays. Jimmy Horn and Brycen Tremayne will also factor into that equation.
Nickel cornerback: Every man for himself
Panthers head coach Dave Canales made it clear during rookie minicamp that the nickel position is open for competition. Chau Smith-Wade manned the spot for most of last season, but Canales pointed out that Corey Thornton took over the position in the second half of the campaign before suffering a season-ending injury.
The team also added fourth-round pick Will Lee to the mix in April. Undrafted rookie DeVonta Smith also has plenty of experience covering the slot from his college days at Alabama and Notre Dame.
Thornton has the length and size to be an asset at nickel. Smith-Wade has the most experience of the group. Lee and Smith are two young upstarts trying to make the most of their respective rookie campaigns.
Defensive tackle: Finding the right mix in the trenches
With the loss of A’Shawn Robinson and Turk Wharton’s recent neck surgery, the Panthers will have a new starting trio on the front line. While Derrick Brown is a lock to be among that bunch, Bobby Brown and second-round pick Lee Hunter will battle with others to be the first men up in the Panthers’ defensive packages.
Bobby Brown will need to show he is more than just a run-stopper to get consistent first-team snaps. Hunter, meanwhile, will need to adjust to NFL competition to prove his worth. The Panthers will also hope to have someone else on the roster step up to fill the Wharton void.
Cam Jackson, a fifth-round pick last year, could be in the mix to crack the overall rotation as well. LaBryan Ray, Jared Harrison-Hunte, Aaron Hall and Parker Peterson will also compete to make the 53-man roster.
