Six homegrown Carolina Panthers players entering notable roster battles in OTAs
The Carolina Panthers’ brass was adamant about adding legitimate competition to every crevice of the depth chart this offseason. And for the most part, general manager Dan Morgan and his front office succeeded in acquiring upgraded talent.
With additions such as Jaelan Phillips, Devin Lloyd, Monroe Freeling, Lee Hunter and Chris Brazzell on the roster, the incumbent talent will be pushed throughout the summer. Despite coming off the team’s first division title since 2015, several homegrown players are facing uncertainty as the Panthers jumpstart their organized team activities (OTA) workouts this week.
The competition entering the heart of the offseason program is so vast within the roster that several former draft picks — including those brought in by Morgan — are entering battles that could greatly impact their respective futures in Carolina. That group will need to produce strong training camp and preseason performances to settle into roles in 2026.
Here’s a look at six homegrown contributors looking to best their newfound competition this summer:
WR Xavier Legette
How acquired: 2024 first-round pick
Competition: Chris Brazzell, John Metchie
Legette has had a much-maligned two-year tenure in Charlotte. While he has flashed as a big-play threat at times, his effectiveness has been too few and far between for a former Day 1 selection. He’s already been thoroughly supplanted by reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Tetairoa McMillan, and Jalen Coker — who went undrafted in 2024 — is clearly in position to leap him this summer as well.
Legette will now need to fend off Brazzell this summer for the No. 3 spot on the wideout totem pole. Brazzell, the team’s third-round pick, has deep speed and quality size at the position. Legette will need to tap into his own size-speed dynamic to edge out the rookie. If Legette falters, he could be jettisoned out of town, similar to Jonathan Mingo in 2024.
RB Jonathon Brooks
How acquired: 2024 second-round pick
Competition: His health
Brooks is essentially competing with himself this summer. If he can stay healthy, he will be a massive part of the Panthers’ offense. If he struggles to regain form after back-to-back knee surgeries, he’ll slide down the depth chart.
With Chuba Hubbard returning to the starting lineup, the Panthers will want Brooks to grab the second spot in the running back rotation. Trevor Etienne, a fourth-round pick last year, and AJ Dillon will serve as insurance in case Brooks fails to stay on the field. But make no mistake, Carolina wants Brooks to live up to his draft pedigree this year, and they’ll do everything they can to make sure that happens.
LB Trevin Wallace
How acquired: 2024 third-round pick
Competition: Versatility of safeties and Claudin Cherelus
Lloyd’s arrival in free agency should greatly improve the primary inside linebacker spot. But the Panthers will need to figure out where Wallace fits. They’ll presumably position him next to Lloyd in base sets, offering Wallace the opportunity to remain a starter with less pressure on his shoulders.
Wallace will then need to hold off fellow tenured linebacker Claudin Cherelus to remain with the first-team defense. He will also need to show improved coverage ability and durability in order to stay on the field over a potential dime-package option at safety.
Tre’von Moehrig, Isaiah Simmons, Lathan Ransom and even fifth-round pick Zakee Wheatley could be threats to Wallace’s playing time in sub-packages, even if they play totally different positions by nature.
CB Chau Smith-Wade
How acquired: 2024 fifth-round pick
Competition: Corey Thornton and DeVonta Smith
Earlier this month, Panthers head coach Dave Canales acknowledged that Thornton had legitimately overtaken Smith-Wade at the nickel position in 2025 before his season-ending injury against the San Francisco 49ers. Thornton, now healthy, is positioned as the favorite for that gig this summer.
Smith-Wade — who has had his share of ups and downs in Carolina — will need to have a strong training camp and preseason to regain his role. If he can’t beat out Thornton, he’ll also need to fend off Smith, an undrafted rookie with plenty of college experience in the slot.
Smith-Wade is a quality special-teams player, but he might be put in a vulnerable spot if he can’t win the top nickel position outright. Akayleb Evans and Robert Rochell are arguably better fits for special-teams coordinator Tracy Smith’s unit than Smith-Wade.
WR Jimmy Horn
How acquired: 2025 sixth-round pick
Competition: Metchie, Brycen Tremayne, David Moore, Dan Chisena and the tight-end depth
Horn enters his second year of OTAs with plenty of competition around him. The arrivals of Brazzell and Metchie could be his undoing, as the team is more likely to favor Legette — a former first-round pick — over retaining a lightly used gadget playmaker.
Still, Horn has shiftiness that can be effective if his skills are used properly by offensive coordinator Brad Idzik. If Horn can put on a show in workouts this summer, he might get an edge over Metchie or Moore as a backup slot option for Bryce Young. It’d also be nice to see Horn get some return opportunities this summer.
G Chandler Zavala
How acquired: 2023 fourth-round pick
Competition: His health, Saahdiq Charles and Ja’Tyre Carter
Zavala is entering the final year of his rookie contract. When he was selected by the previous regime in 2023, the idea was that he could be a future starter after two promising seasons at N.C. State. However, he’s spent more time on injury lists than in the starting lineup over the past three years.
The fact that 2024 free-agent additions, Damien Lewis and Rob Hunt, are fantastic starters at guard hasn’t helped Zavala. But he hasn’t done himself any favors either, as his play has left a lot to be desired when he’s been healthy. Now, he’s facing a make-or-break summer, even with some uninspiring competition behind Lewis and Hunt.
Carter and Charles are baseline NFL linemen. They could easily be upgraded with a call to familiar faces like Brady Christensen and Jake Curhan. But for now, they’re the ones standing in Zavala’s way of making the team for a fourth season.
