Three questions left unresolved for Panthers ahead of training camp

The Carolina Panthers are steps ahead of where the team was a year ago.

That’s not shocking. Not only is it the second year for the coaching staff that has all now been through a full NFL season, but the Panthers have the bonus of having completed in-person workouts with almost the entire roster in attendance. Head coach Matt Rhule remarked how he now cannot imagine how the team prepared last year virtually during the offseason program.

Training camp is less than a month away and the Panthers will have three more preseason games than last year, in addition to four combined days of joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens in advance to their preseason matchups. Prior to the start of the regular season, however, there is plenty that needs to be sorted out.

Here is a look at three key questions the team needs to answer before the New York Jets come to town for Week 1.

Who is starting for the Panthers at left tackle?

At this point, it almost feels like we’re going in circles with this one, but it’s arguably the biggest question haunting the offense over the next couple of months.

The team has made little progress in determining who will fill the role with both Cam Erving, who appears to have the early lead at the position based on Rhule’s comments, and Trent Scott missing on-field work during the offseason program. Last year, injuries to an inconsistent line played a part in the offense’s struggles, and part of Sam Darnold’s struggles over the past three years in New York were due to poor performance on the offensive line.

He was sacked 98 times in three years and had more combined turnovers (46) than passing touchdowns (45). Darnold is also responsible for his performance, and the offensive system he was in didn’t help, but he was never supported on the line.

Rookie Brady Christensen has practiced on the right side, so as of now he is less of a factor, but Erving and Scott are expected to be healthy for camp. Getting the right answer at left tackle, with limited players available outside of the roster, is key to coordinator Joe Brady’s offense taking a step forward with Darnold.

What lies ahead for Panthers drafted by the previous front office?

Greg Little, Will Grier, Ian Thomas, Christian Miller. The list goes on, but a number of the players recently drafted by the organization under a different coaching staff and front office are in an interesting position. Some, like cornerback Donte Jackson, are certainly not in danger of losing their roster spot, with a contract extension possibly around the corner.

But for the likes of Little, Grier and Thomas, the fight is on to prove that they deserve to be one of the 53 players on the final roster.

Little’s lack of versatility outside of left tackle could hurt his odds. After last year, Grier is on the wrong side of the backup quarterback job, and Thomas had two notable dropped passes, and a touchdown catch, during the final practice of minicamp amid a series of tipped passes by the Panthers offense after Rhule referred to the tight end as having a “tremendous offseason.”

“Drops are unacceptable, and really the biggest ones are, two days in a row now, some tip balls leading to things,” Rhule said after the second day of minicamp. “Tips and overthrows are where most interceptions come from. I think we’re still a work in progress and a lot of different areas.”

Miller is returning to the defense after opting out of last season, and Rhule said the staff is treating him like any other new player. 2018 draft picks Marquis Haynes and Jermaine Carter will need to continue to carve out roles on defense alongside the competition brought in. How those players perform in camp will go a long way to shaping out the roster.

Can the all-time Panthers begin to be replaced this year?

With the departure of Greg Olsen and the retirement of Luke Kuechly early in 2020, the Panthers have spent the past year with inconsistent talent at both tight end and inside linebacker. With two free agency periods and two drafts in the books since their departures, there are still being question marks at both positions.

Thomas has not stepped into Olsen’s large shoes, and the top three tight ends on the roster last year caught a combined 27 passes and two touchdowns. Free agent acquisition Dan Arnold is not yet a proven receiving threat to the level the Panthers need in the middle of the field in Brady’s offense, and rookie Tommy Tremble is a work in progress as a receiver.

“The tree that I grew up in, the tight ends are the most important position on the field, the matchups that they create, and everything,” Brady said. “It’s been a point of emphasis this offseason, just trying to get those guys going in the passing game. And I think those guys have kind of taken and ran with it.”

At inside linebacker, the team signed Denzel Perryman as a free agent, but injuries have haunted him every season of his career, and Carter will compete for the starting role. The team has yet to draft a linebacker under Rhule.

Olsen and Kuechly were never going to be easy to replace, but with the roles those two positions have, the team needs to begin moving in the right direction, which did not happen last year.

Progress at both positions will be something to watch in training camp and throughout 2021.