By CORY SPIERS
coryspiers@gmail.com
It's almost here.
The NFL roster cut down is imminent. As teams wrap up their preseason schedules later this week, they'll also be thinking about which of their players they'll make part of their final roster of 53, which ones they will add to their 10-man practice squads and which ones they'll give walking papers to.
For the Panthers, the focus remains on getting through Thursday's preseason finale against Pittsburgh without major injuries. That game also presents one last opportunity for roster hopefuls to prove themselves under the lights in Charlotte.
A lot could change after Thursday's game. Or it might not. Either way, I'm going to take a stab at predicting the final 53 that the Panthers will carry after Saturday's final roster cut.
Below are the players I think will take the trip to Santa Clara when Carolina opens the season at the 49ers Sept. 10. I'll also provide some reasoning for why I think so.
I took a guess at projecting the final roster on the offensive side in a previous post. I included 24 players.
Now, let's use a good number of those empty slots to assemble the defense.
Disclaimer: these are strictly my opinion and are based off of preseason statistics, practice reports and what I know about the organization's philosophy and priorities. Take them for a grain of salt-- this is meant to be fun. I'm also not a GM, so my roster construction is based off of little other than some pretty well educated guesses.
I'll make another post later this week updating any position battles that change after Thursday's game.
** denotes starters
DT: Kawann Short **, Star Lotulelei **, Vernon Butler, Kyle Love
Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei will hold down the starting defensive tackle positions and I think Vernon Butler and Kyle Love will be the respective backups.
I've liked what I've seen from Kyle Love. The big 310-pounder clogs up running lanes well, much like Lotulelei.
Conversely, I think Butler plays a similar brand of football as Short. He runs very well for someone of his size and can chase down quarterbacks.
I think Butler still has a lot of room to grow. He's been slowed by a lower body injury this preseason but if he's ready to go by Week 1, I expect him to be the next man in when Short needs a breather.
It's worth noting that Love has battled some preseason nicks, as well. Provided both of them are healthy I think they'll be the selections.
If either or both of them are at all banged up when it comes time to make a call, rookie Eric Crume has had a good preseason and could be an option instead. For now, I'll assume both Butler and Love are 100 percent healthy when the time comes to make a decision and give them the nod here, though.
DE: Julius Peppers **, Charles Johnson **, Mario Addison, Wes Horton, Bryan Cox
Julius Peppers and Charles Johnson, the two leading sack artists in franchise history, should start on the ends in Week 1.
The Panthers want to get Addison plenty of snaps this season and I think they will. But Peppers should start alongside Johnson, at least for the first game, if for no reason other than his longevity.
The 29-year-old Addison is fresh off his best career season that saw him rack up 9.5 sacks.
Wes Horton is a run-stopping specialist and should accomplish just that.
I'm throwing an upset into the mix and calling rookie Bryan Cox, Jr. as a surprise roster make.
Cox has been working hard and got some first-team reps against Jacksonville in the third preseason game. I really liked what I saw from him on a sack in that game where he used a nifty swim move to reach the backfield.
"Who was that?" I had to ask out loud.
It was Cox and I think he might make the team as the fifth and final defensive end. We haven't seen much from Larry Webster or Zach Moore and Efe Obada can't make the roster because he's an international player.
Rookie Daeshon Hall drummed up some excitement after being drafted, mostly because he was the "other" defensive end at Texas A&M alongside Myles Garrett. But he hasn't done much this preseason and to make things worse for him, he is now battling a knee injury.
Since Cox is healthy and making noise, I think the stars might be aligned for him.
LB: Luke Kuechly **, Thomas Davis **, Shaq Thompson **, David Mayo, Jeremy Cash, Ben Jacobs
Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson don't really need introductions.
David Mayo has proven to be a very capable backup at middle linebacker and has played very well in the preseason in Kuechly's place.
Mayo looks a lot like AJ Klein did when he was here-- a very capable backup who would likely start in any other linebacker corps in the NFL. Now, Klein is playing an expanded role in New Orleans.
Jeremy Cash, the former undrafted Duke safety, seems to be learning the linebacker position well and is making good strides. Cash made the roster as an even-more raw rookie last season and he should do it again. He's had a couple good preseason moments.
Ben Jacobs, a special teams... well, specalist, would have made the team last year if not for the fact that he went to injured reserve with a quad injury, giving Jared Norris the nod in his place.
I think Jacobs does make it this year and Norris does not.
CB: James Bradberry **, Daryl Worley **, Captain Munnerlyn, Zack Sanchez, Teddy Williams, Cole Luke
James Bradberry has had a good preseason after standing out in camp. His starting counterpart, second-year man Daryl Worley, has had a couple of preseason hiccups.
Still, that should be the starting duo.
Captain Munnerlyn should hold down the nickel corner position in his first year back with his former team.
Former Oklahoma corner Zack Sanchez had a great third preseason game and seems to be making great strides (he came into the league in the same draft as Bradberry and Worley).
Teddy Williams is reliable on special teams and has taken some real reps at corner before.
Given Munnerlyn's nickel responsibility, I don't think it'd be out of the question to add rookie corner Cole Luke to the equation for depth after a solid preseason.
S: Kurt Coleman **, Mike Adams **, Colin Jones, LJ McCray, Damian Parms
Veterans Kurt Coleman and Mike Adams will hold down the starting free safety and strong safety spots, respectively.
Depth behind them has been a scary question this preseason but I expect the first man up to be Colin Jones. Jones has proven to be a reliable special teams man and has played some safety in stretches for the team before.
Local kid LJ McCray and former Florida Atlantic safety Damian Parms could round out the safety depth.
_______________________________________________________________________________
These defensive predictions (26 of them) bring the roster up to 50. Those three remaining slots will go to the special teamers. I'll cover those, who I think will handle the return duties and who will make up the practice squad (a difficult feat) in the next post.
coryspiers@gmail.com
It's almost here.
The NFL roster cut down is imminent. As teams wrap up their preseason schedules later this week, they'll also be thinking about which of their players they'll make part of their final roster of 53, which ones they will add to their 10-man practice squads and which ones they'll give walking papers to.
For the Panthers, the focus remains on getting through Thursday's preseason finale against Pittsburgh without major injuries. That game also presents one last opportunity for roster hopefuls to prove themselves under the lights in Charlotte.
A lot could change after Thursday's game. Or it might not. Either way, I'm going to take a stab at predicting the final 53 that the Panthers will carry after Saturday's final roster cut.
Below are the players I think will take the trip to Santa Clara when Carolina opens the season at the 49ers Sept. 10. I'll also provide some reasoning for why I think so.
I took a guess at projecting the final roster on the offensive side in a previous post. I included 24 players.
Now, let's use a good number of those empty slots to assemble the defense.
Disclaimer: these are strictly my opinion and are based off of preseason statistics, practice reports and what I know about the organization's philosophy and priorities. Take them for a grain of salt-- this is meant to be fun. I'm also not a GM, so my roster construction is based off of little other than some pretty well educated guesses.
I'll make another post later this week updating any position battles that change after Thursday's game.
** denotes starters
DT: Kawann Short **, Star Lotulelei **, Vernon Butler, Kyle Love
Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei will hold down the starting defensive tackle positions and I think Vernon Butler and Kyle Love will be the respective backups.
I've liked what I've seen from Kyle Love. The big 310-pounder clogs up running lanes well, much like Lotulelei.
Conversely, I think Butler plays a similar brand of football as Short. He runs very well for someone of his size and can chase down quarterbacks.
I think Butler still has a lot of room to grow. He's been slowed by a lower body injury this preseason but if he's ready to go by Week 1, I expect him to be the next man in when Short needs a breather.
It's worth noting that Love has battled some preseason nicks, as well. Provided both of them are healthy I think they'll be the selections.
If either or both of them are at all banged up when it comes time to make a call, rookie Eric Crume has had a good preseason and could be an option instead. For now, I'll assume both Butler and Love are 100 percent healthy when the time comes to make a decision and give them the nod here, though.
DE: Julius Peppers **, Charles Johnson **, Mario Addison, Wes Horton, Bryan Cox
Julius Peppers and Charles Johnson, the two leading sack artists in franchise history, should start on the ends in Week 1.
The Panthers want to get Addison plenty of snaps this season and I think they will. But Peppers should start alongside Johnson, at least for the first game, if for no reason other than his longevity.
The 29-year-old Addison is fresh off his best career season that saw him rack up 9.5 sacks.
Wes Horton is a run-stopping specialist and should accomplish just that.
I'm throwing an upset into the mix and calling rookie Bryan Cox, Jr. as a surprise roster make.
Cox has been working hard and got some first-team reps against Jacksonville in the third preseason game. I really liked what I saw from him on a sack in that game where he used a nifty swim move to reach the backfield.
"Who was that?" I had to ask out loud.
It was Cox and I think he might make the team as the fifth and final defensive end. We haven't seen much from Larry Webster or Zach Moore and Efe Obada can't make the roster because he's an international player.
Rookie Daeshon Hall drummed up some excitement after being drafted, mostly because he was the "other" defensive end at Texas A&M alongside Myles Garrett. But he hasn't done much this preseason and to make things worse for him, he is now battling a knee injury.
Since Cox is healthy and making noise, I think the stars might be aligned for him.
LB: Luke Kuechly **, Thomas Davis **, Shaq Thompson **, David Mayo, Jeremy Cash, Ben Jacobs
Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson don't really need introductions.
David Mayo has proven to be a very capable backup at middle linebacker and has played very well in the preseason in Kuechly's place.
Mayo looks a lot like AJ Klein did when he was here-- a very capable backup who would likely start in any other linebacker corps in the NFL. Now, Klein is playing an expanded role in New Orleans.
Jeremy Cash, the former undrafted Duke safety, seems to be learning the linebacker position well and is making good strides. Cash made the roster as an even-more raw rookie last season and he should do it again. He's had a couple good preseason moments.
Ben Jacobs, a special teams... well, specalist, would have made the team last year if not for the fact that he went to injured reserve with a quad injury, giving Jared Norris the nod in his place.
I think Jacobs does make it this year and Norris does not.
CB: James Bradberry **, Daryl Worley **, Captain Munnerlyn, Zack Sanchez, Teddy Williams, Cole Luke
James Bradberry has had a good preseason after standing out in camp. His starting counterpart, second-year man Daryl Worley, has had a couple of preseason hiccups.
Still, that should be the starting duo.
Captain Munnerlyn should hold down the nickel corner position in his first year back with his former team.
Former Oklahoma corner Zack Sanchez had a great third preseason game and seems to be making great strides (he came into the league in the same draft as Bradberry and Worley).
Teddy Williams is reliable on special teams and has taken some real reps at corner before.
Given Munnerlyn's nickel responsibility, I don't think it'd be out of the question to add rookie corner Cole Luke to the equation for depth after a solid preseason.
S: Kurt Coleman **, Mike Adams **, Colin Jones, LJ McCray, Damian Parms
Veterans Kurt Coleman and Mike Adams will hold down the starting free safety and strong safety spots, respectively.
Depth behind them has been a scary question this preseason but I expect the first man up to be Colin Jones. Jones has proven to be a reliable special teams man and has played some safety in stretches for the team before.
Local kid LJ McCray and former Florida Atlantic safety Damian Parms could round out the safety depth.
_______________________________________________________________________________
These defensive predictions (26 of them) bring the roster up to 50. Those three remaining slots will go to the special teamers. I'll cover those, who I think will handle the return duties and who will make up the practice squad (a difficult feat) in the next post.
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