The Carolina Panthers saw some signs of progress in their second preseason game. With one warmup contest remaining before the scores start to count, however, there’s still plenty of work left to be done.
First the bright side: The Panthers were able to score points, with rookie starting quarterback Bryce Young leading his first scoring drive as a pro. Backup candidates Matt Corral and Jake Luton even led the team to the end zone in the 21-19 loss to the Giants. The offensive line also did a better job of keeping Young and company upright and relatively safe. Young was sacked once, as was Corral, but the overall quarterback abuse was down from the preseason opener.
That doesn’t mean the line is crossed off the team’s to-do list, however. The Panthers struggled to run the ball, and the guys up front were inconsistent clearing space with their blocking.
“I thought it was a mixed bag,” said Carolina coach Frank Reich. “I looked down, and we’re averaging 2.8 a carry. Sometimes we’re struggling running it.”
The one glaring area that needs to be addressed on the line is the right guard position. Last year’s starter at that spot, Austin Corbett, injured his ACL in the final game of last season. The recovery is going well, and Reich said Corbett is “ahead of schedule.”
“If you watched him move around, you’d say he looks like he could play Week 1,” Reich said. “But it takes time.” Reich went on to say the team wasn’t expecting to have Corbett for the start of the season.
The battle to be Corbett’s temporary replacement has gone on through camp, and the team said before the Giants game that it hoped to have an answer before the preseason finale. Cade Mays had the first shot at the job and was respectable in the preseason opener. He and tackle Taylor Moton had a miscommunication on one of the hits Young took, but otherwise, he didn’t have any major penalties or blown blocks. He also filled in at center late in the game, but he missed the second exhibition game after injuring his neck.
That opened the door for draft pick Chandler Zavala, who missed the first preseason game with a hamstring injury. He got the start in game two and had a clean performance. He was able to move defenders and clear space in the run game, and some of the team’s best runs were behind him. He also was solid in pass protection, with a holding penalty that wiped out a third down pass as his only glaring negative.
“I’m excited to go look at the tape,” Reich said. “He had a good week of practice. Obviously, I wasn’t zoning in on him one-on-one during the game. I thought up front, I thought our protection was better.”
Michael Jordan got most of the backup snaps in both games and seemed to struggle more than the two starters.
The next area that still needs to be resolved is at third receiver and second tight end. Young will likely be looking for safety valves early in his NFL career, especially if the line continues to be inconsistent. So far, the team has not gotten much reason for optimism from the guys behind the frontline players — Adam Thielen and DJ Chark at receiver, and Hayden Hurst at tight end.
Rookie second-round pick Jonathan Mingo started both preseason games. In the first, he struggled to get open and was never even targeted. He was able to create space in game two and had one impressive leaping catch that he brought down and a broken tackle to get the first down.
Terrence Marshall was considered his top competition for the third receiver spot, but his back injury, suffered at practice following the first game, puts his ability to be ready to start the season in jeopardy. Laviska Shenault is the next logical candidate, but he has been targeted three times in two games and has yet to get a reception.
Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble have both put in plenty of time as the second tight end in recent seasons, but neither appears to be stepping up to claim the job this year. Thomas has three catches in four times being targeted and is the likely choice. Tremble has one catch in three targets.
The Panthers will also have to decide on Young’s backup, where Corral has been solid and veteran Andy Dalton has yet to play in a preseason game.
On defense, there are decisions to be made, most notably in the linebacker depth positions. Yetur Gross-Matos has had some big plays as he tries to hold off rookie DJ Johnson, who hasn’t played much in the two games, veteran Marquis Haynes, former practice squadder Kobe Jones and newly signed Justin Houston. At backup inside linebacker, special teamer Kamu Grugier-Hill and newcomer Donte Jones have both had their moments.
