Last week, we looked at how the Panthers draft picks performed in the team’s first preseason game. Fourth-round tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and fifth-round cornerback Chau Smith-Wade continued their strong preseasons, adding to an ever-growing list of big plays in the game against the Jets.
However, this week, we focus on roster long shots—the undrafted free agents, longtime practice squadders and training camp fodder trying to survive final cuts and make the 53-man roster.
With the Panthers again resting the vast majority of their starters—as well as a good chunk of the draft class—in the second preseason game, the dark horses had their chance to step into the spotlight in the home game against the Jets.
Wide receiver: Jalen Coker. The two-time All-Patriot League player went undrafted out of Holy Cross, but he’s impressed in camp and had some moments in the preseason opener at New England. He’s trying to beat out 2021 second-round pick Terrace Marshall, 2023 second-rounder Jonathan Mingo, veteran David Moore and return specialist Ihmir Smith-Marsette for the final receiver spot.
Mingo had a long gain on a bubble screen that was wiped out on an offensive interference penalty on Smith-Marsette. Both Mingo and Marsette also suffered losses on run plays. For the second straight week, Moore has failed to impress receiving or as a return man. His only positive gain was wiped out by penalty, and he had a dropped pass and ran into his own man on a punt return.
Coker couldn’t squeeze through the door the rest of the competition left open, however. He blew up a screen pass to a teammate when he couldn’t hold his block, and his first time as a target came in the final minute of the third quarter. He did have one good catch and run for a first down, late. However, the odds are in favor of Marshall, who had a good day, getting a pair of impressive catches.
Defensive line: Nick Thurman and T.J. Smith. The 29-year-old Thurman played in seven games over five seasons before playing in all 17 with the Panthers last season—his first where he didn’t spend time on a practice squad. Smith went undrafted in 2020 and has played two NFL regular season games since.
Both have impressed in camp and preseason game one, and both started against the Jets. Thurman had a quiet night, assisting on one tackle. Smith was unblocked on a 15-yard sack and also tipped a pass resulting in a near interception. Both face an uphill battle to make the final cut, but Smith seems to have the edge. His case was helped by sixth-round draft pick Jaden Crumedy, who suffered an ankle injury in the first preseason game and couldn’t go in game two. It’s also possible that the spot they’re fighting for could end up going to one of the players involved in the next position battle.
Edge rusher: Luiji Vilain and Eku Leota. Both players saw their odds improve when veteran Tae Davis was carted off the field in the second half. Vilain, undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2022, has three regular season NFL games. Leota, undrafted last year, saw spot duty in eight games after being promoted from the practice squad.
Leota was one of the breakout stars in the Patriots game, and he continued to impress with the Jets in town. He flushed the quarterback on a pass-turned-scramble early in the game. On the next play—fourth down—he got pressure on the quarterback, forcing an incompletion. He was also the first man down on a kickoff coverage play. He did have a missed tackle on what would have been a sack and compounded the error by grabbing the quarterback’s facemask as he spun out of Leota’s grasp, but that’s been about the only blemish on Leota’s record in the first two preseason games.
Vilain had a missed tackle on a quarterback scramble early in the game, but later on redeemed himself by pressuring the quarterback and forcing an incompletion on a designed screen play.
Cornerback: D’Shawn Jamison, Lamar Jackson, Dicaprio Bootle. All three went undrafted and have been cut at the end of training camp a total of seven times, combined. They’re battling to keep that total from increasing. Jackson and Jamison got the start, but Bootle logged 32 snaps, sixth most of any Panthers defensive player. Jackson left the game with an undisclosed injury and was waived by the team. Dane Jackson, ahead of the group on the depth chart, is also expected to miss significant time, so the path is looking clearer for Jamison and Bootle.
