Carolina Panthers: 90-man roster to begin the 2021 offseason

The Carolina Panthers are now entering their second year of the Matt Rhule era and the first under Scott Fitterer, and their chessboard is continuing to take shape. So, who are all the pieces?

With OTAs on the horizon, here is what the team’s current 90-man roster looks like.

Quarterback (4)

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Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, Will Grier, Tommy Stevens Wow, that's weird. Can't seem to find Justin Fields' name . . . oh, right. Well, there's no doubt Darnold is QB1 as the roster stands here in May. And while trying to unearth what the former third overall pick was supposed to be coming out of the University Southern California may be relatively low-risk, high-upside move, the heat could be on soon if Rhule swings and misses on a second straight quarterback project. And speaking of projects, there may not be a better word to describe the collective bunch behind Darnold here. Walker and Grier have been largely atrocious in the limited on-field action they've seen in Carolina and we're pretty sure Stevens is on the roster just as a troll to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton.

Running back (8)

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Christian McCaffrey, Trenton Cannon, Reggie Bonnafon, Chuba Hubbard (R), Spencer Brown (R), Mikey Daniel, Darius Clark Some dude named "McCaffrey" is going to be the starter in the backfield, so the real question surrounds the spot Mike Davis used to take up behind him. Let's see how high Hubbard has risen come fall. Even though Cannon and Bonnafon have impressed at times, general manager Scott Fitterer didn't invest a fourth-round pick in the Oklahoma State University star just to see him slated below the two on game days.

Fullback (1)

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Mason Stokke (R) The fullback room must feel kind of lonely. But at least it isn't empty! Stokke signed on as an undrafted rookie on May 1. He won't come as touted, but he does some versatility as a runner and pass catcher to perhaps replace the role left behind by Alex Armah.

Wide receiver (12)

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DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall Jr. (R), David Moore, Brandon Zylstra, Omar Bayless, Keith Kirkwood, Ventell Bryant, Marken Michel, Ishmael Hyman, Micah Simon, Shi Smith (R) It'll be difficult not to envision Moore, Anderson and Marshall as the trio atop the depth chart for Week 1. Moore, a Seattle buddy of Fitterer's, could challenge for the third spot given those ties and the $4.75 million they plan on investing in him, but offensive coordinator Joe Brady probably can't wait to get back to work with Marshall's size, athleticism and flexibility.

Tight end (6)

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Dan Arnold, Ian Thomas, Colin Thompson, Tommy Tremble (R), Giovanni Ricci, Stephen Sullivan Arnold is a decent enough tight end and should have the edge to be the starter. Plus, we're all waiting for those Darnold to Arnold calls. The real excitement could be drummed up by the duo of Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble. While they have yet to consistently display it on their respective levels, the upside of both as pass-catching threats is an appealing resource just waiting to be tapped into.

Offensive line (16)

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Greg Little, Dennis Daley, Matt Paradis, Pat Elflein, Taylor Moton, Cameron Erving, Brady Christensen (R), John Miller, Trent Scott, Deonte Brown (R), David Moore (R), Sam Tecklenburg, Mike Horton, Matt Kaskey, Aaron Monteiro, Martez Ivey This group as a whole is still not particularly good. A ray of hope, however, could come in the form of the team's first third-round selection of 2021. Christensen will be the fan favorite in the upcoming triple threat battle for the left tackle spot. The Brigham Young University product will have to fend off Little and Erving, which shouldn't be a much of a task anyway.

Defensive line (11)

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Brian Burns, Bravvion Roy, Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos, Morgan Fox, DaQuan Jones, Marquis Haynes, Daviyon Nixon (R), Mike Panasuik, Austin Larkin, Phil Hoskins (R) The Carolina Panthers are used to going under the radar because, well, they're the Carolina Panthers. But don't overlook a pair of additions up there. Fox comes over from the Los Angeles Rams with high praise, and hopefully he'll also come over with his high pressure rate. The same could be said for Jones, who has been one of the better pass-rushing tackles in football over the last few years.

Linebacker (11)

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Shaq Thompson, Denzel Perryman, Haason Reddick, Jermaine Carter Jr., Frankie Luvu, Christian Miller, Julian Stanford, Paddy Fisher (R), Clay Johnston, Kendall Donnerson, Chris Orr Since we're talking about pressure, the signing of Reddick may end up being a fantastic one for Carolina. The former Temple University Owl (he's a Rhule guy!) is fresh off a 2020 where his game finally clicked, having posted a career-high 12.5 sacks with Arizona. If Perryman stays healthy he could be another key add. His speed and athleticism at the position is amongst the best in the game and can help round out the best group of starting backers the team has had since the Luke Kuechly/Thomas Davis/Thompson days.

Cornerback (9)

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Jaycee Horn (R), Donte Jackson, A.J. Bouye, Troy Pride Jr., Rashaan Melvin, Stanley Oliver-Thomas III, Myles Hartfield, Keith Taylor (R). Jalen Julius The Panthers got their man in Horn with the eighth overall selection of the 2021 draft. He'll undoubtedly be starting barring some unforeseen setback. He'll have some decent help beside him, something this particular position group has lacked dearly. Jackson, Bouye, Pride Jr. and Melvin are not too shabby considering what they've thrown out in their secondary of late.

Safety (7)

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Jeremy Chinn, Juston Burris, Kenny Robinson, Lano Hill, J.T. Ibe, Sam Franklin, Sean Chandler After releasing Tre Boston, the Panthers are looking even more thin at this spot. Chinn will continue to be moved around between here and linebacker, but Phil Snow's defense will need somebody to be their full-time free safety.

Specialists (5)

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Joey Slye, Joseph Charlton, J.J. Jansen, Oscar Draguicevich III, Thomas Fletcher Jansen, the longest tenured Panther, has some competition in the sixth-rounder Fletcher to fend off to keep his long snapper position, as does Charlton with Draguicevich at punter. After the release of Matt Ammendola, Syle and his famous biceps are all alone at kicker, at least for now. [vertical-gallery id=636643]

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