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. I then moved on to defense and penciled in another 26 players, bringing us to 50 with three slots left for special teams.
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
K: Graham Gano
Both of these special teams battles are so, so close. Rookie seventh round pick Harrison Butker has kicked well this preseason.
Butker is 2-for-2 and both of his makes have been from 40+ yards.
Gano is 3-for-4 and his miss was from 50-yards.
Something in my gut tells me the Panthers will go back to Gano, though.
With kickers, I feel there's comfort in the known commodities and terror in the unknown.
The one thing Butker doesn't have that Gano does? Eight years of kicking experience in the NFL.
Sure, Gano had his worst season in a Panther uniform last season but I think the organization believes he can recover. And I tend to agree.
Gano's best season in Charlotte came in 2013 when he drilled 88.9 percent of his field goals and had a long of 55 yards.
There's no reason to believe Gano can't iron out the bugs and get back to that. Even 2015, when the Panthers marched to the Super Bowl, Gano was solid with a 83.3 percent field goal percentage.
With Gano, the Panthers at least know what they have. With Butker, all they have to go on in terms of his comfort in the NFL is a few preseason games and some training camp kicks.
I'd take the proven commodity, even if that commodity slumped last year, but that's just my gut-feeling.
P: Michael Palardy
Now I can start to shake it up.
I think second-year man Michael Palardy beats out the veteran Andy Lee.
Apparently this battle has been closer than expected all summer and it's easy to see why.
Lee played in just nine games last season after Carolina spent a fourth round pick to acquire him from Cleveland.
In Lee's place, Palardy played well the rest of the season. He averaged 42.5 yards per punt and pinned 13 punts inside the 20.
This preseason, Palardy sports a 48.8 yards per punt average compared to Lee's 45.2. Palardy has pinned four inside the 20 compared to Lee's two.
Unlike Butker, Palardy has already kicked at this level and has shown that he can get the job done. Lee is older, more injury prone and costs more than Palardy.
I look for Palardy, the former Tennessee Volunteer, to be the guy and Lee will hit the open market (where I imagine someone aching for punting help would claim him).
LS: JJ Jansen
I mean, he does it every year. We've got this one covered with no drama.
PR: Damiere Byrd
Yes, it would be exciting to see rookie Christian McCaffrey return punts but it would also be horrifying.
Carolina tried it against Jacksonville and I held my breath every time he entered a scrum of bodies.
Probably better to be safe than sorry in that regard. That's why I think Damiere Byrd will be the primary returner.
Byrd is quick and has good vision. He has returned three punts this preseason for an average of 8.3 yards per return. Only Kaelin Clay has a better average (13.5 per return in two returns) but I don't project him to make the team.
KR: Damiere Byrd
Why not Byrd here, too? Fozzy Whittaker has held this spot down for some time now in Carolina but Byrd has been the better kickoff returner this preseason.
Byrd is averaging 18.3 yards per return compared to Whittaker's 14.5.
It's not an eye-popping difference but Carolina's kickoff return game has been stagnant for a long time. Why not shake it up with one of your speedy, young receivers?
Practice squad: Efe Obada, Daeshon Hall, Austin Duke, Corn Elder, Jalen Simons, Arthur Miley, Jeff Richards, Bryce Williams, Eric Crume, Blaine Clausell, Ben Boulware
Obada is Carolina's 11th practice squad player (an NFC South only thing this season) as he is the team's international player.
Daeshon Hall has potential and I doubt the Panthers are ready to already completely sail the ship on their most recent third round pick. Hall has battled an injury this preseason and didn't flash much before that. Some seasoning might do him good.
Austin Duke had a pretty good preseason. The UNCC product has five catches for 75 yards but has been a bit inconsistent. With some more time and experience, Duke could be an option for the Panthers down the road. Byrd just brings a little more to the table at this point.
Corn Elder, like Hall, was a draft pick a lot of folks were excited about after the Panthers grabbed him in the fifth round out of Miami. He was very limited in camp with an injury. He could get some valuable experience as a practice squad member.
Jalen Simons is a solid back but it's a crowded group again, as it is most years in Carolina. Simons was on the practice squad last year, too.
Arthur Miley is a project defensive end with good size (6-6).
Jeff Richards is a defensive back who has shown some flashes this preseason. He could be good depth pieces at a later time.
Bryce Williams is a raw tight end but he has good size (6-5, 260) and is from ECU.
Defensive tackle Eric Crume has had some good moments this preseason but he's raw and the tackles that I project to be in front of him just bring more experience to the table. With Butler and Love battling injuries at the time of this writing, he could make a push for the final 53 but if not, I'd try to retain him here.
Blaine Clausell is a depth offensive lineman with good size (6-6). Ben Boulware showed heart as a linebacker but that position in this town is one of the deepest in the NFL. It also helps his case for sticking around by the skin of his teeth that he's a Clemson guy.
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. I then moved on to defense and penciled in another 26 players, bringing us to 50 with three slots left for special teams.
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
K: Graham Gano
Both of these special teams battles are so, so close. Rookie seventh round pick Harrison Butker has kicked well this preseason.
Butker is 2-for-2 and both of his makes have been from 40+ yards.
Gano is 3-for-4 and his miss was from 50-yards.
Something in my gut tells me the Panthers will go back to Gano, though.
With kickers, I feel there's comfort in the known commodities and terror in the unknown.
The one thing Butker doesn't have that Gano does? Eight years of kicking experience in the NFL.
Sure, Gano had his worst season in a Panther uniform last season but I think the organization believes he can recover. And I tend to agree.
Gano's best season in Charlotte came in 2013 when he drilled 88.9 percent of his field goals and had a long of 55 yards.
There's no reason to believe Gano can't iron out the bugs and get back to that. Even 2015, when the Panthers marched to the Super Bowl, Gano was solid with a 83.3 percent field goal percentage.
With Gano, the Panthers at least know what they have. With Butker, all they have to go on in terms of his comfort in the NFL is a few preseason games and some training camp kicks.
I'd take the proven commodity, even if that commodity slumped last year, but that's just my gut-feeling.
P: Michael Palardy
Now I can start to shake it up.
I think second-year man Michael Palardy beats out the veteran Andy Lee.
Apparently this battle has been closer than expected all summer and it's easy to see why.
Lee played in just nine games last season after Carolina spent a fourth round pick to acquire him from Cleveland.
In Lee's place, Palardy played well the rest of the season. He averaged 42.5 yards per punt and pinned 13 punts inside the 20.
This preseason, Palardy sports a 48.8 yards per punt average compared to Lee's 45.2. Palardy has pinned four inside the 20 compared to Lee's two.
Unlike Butker, Palardy has already kicked at this level and has shown that he can get the job done. Lee is older, more injury prone and costs more than Palardy.
I look for Palardy, the former Tennessee Volunteer, to be the guy and Lee will hit the open market (where I imagine someone aching for punting help would claim him).
LS: JJ Jansen
I mean, he does it every year. We've got this one covered with no drama.
PR: Damiere Byrd
Yes, it would be exciting to see rookie Christian McCaffrey return punts but it would also be horrifying.
Carolina tried it against Jacksonville and I held my breath every time he entered a scrum of bodies.
Probably better to be safe than sorry in that regard. That's why I think Damiere Byrd will be the primary returner.
Byrd is quick and has good vision. He has returned three punts this preseason for an average of 8.3 yards per return. Only Kaelin Clay has a better average (13.5 per return in two returns) but I don't project him to make the team.
KR: Damiere Byrd
Why not Byrd here, too? Fozzy Whittaker has held this spot down for some time now in Carolina but Byrd has been the better kickoff returner this preseason.
Byrd is averaging 18.3 yards per return compared to Whittaker's 14.5.
It's not an eye-popping difference but Carolina's kickoff return game has been stagnant for a long time. Why not shake it up with one of your speedy, young receivers?
Practice squad: Efe Obada, Daeshon Hall, Austin Duke, Corn Elder, Jalen Simons, Arthur Miley, Jeff Richards, Bryce Williams, Eric Crume, Blaine Clausell, Ben Boulware
Obada is Carolina's 11th practice squad player (an NFC South only thing this season) as he is the team's international player.
Daeshon Hall has potential and I doubt the Panthers are ready to already completely sail the ship on their most recent third round pick. Hall has battled an injury this preseason and didn't flash much before that. Some seasoning might do him good.
Austin Duke had a pretty good preseason. The UNCC product has five catches for 75 yards but has been a bit inconsistent. With some more time and experience, Duke could be an option for the Panthers down the road. Byrd just brings a little more to the table at this point.
Corn Elder, like Hall, was a draft pick a lot of folks were excited about after the Panthers grabbed him in the fifth round out of Miami. He was very limited in camp with an injury. He could get some valuable experience as a practice squad member.
Jalen Simons is a solid back but it's a crowded group again, as it is most years in Carolina. Simons was on the practice squad last year, too.
Arthur Miley is a project defensive end with good size (6-6).
Jeff Richards is a defensive back who has shown some flashes this preseason. He could be good depth pieces at a later time.
Bryce Williams is a raw tight end but he has good size (6-5, 260) and is from ECU.
Defensive tackle Eric Crume has had some good moments this preseason but he's raw and the tackles that I project to be in front of him just bring more experience to the table. With Butler and Love battling injuries at the time of this writing, he could make a push for the final 53 but if not, I'd try to retain him here.
Blaine Clausell is a depth offensive lineman with good size (6-6). Ben Boulware showed heart as a linebacker but that position in this town is one of the deepest in the NFL. It also helps his case for sticking around by the skin of his teeth that he's a Clemson guy.
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