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GAMEDAY: 5 things I'm watching tonight

By CORY SPIERS
coryspiers@gmail.com

The Panthers take the field for preseason Game 3 tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Jacksonville.

Carolina carries a 1-1 preseason record into the contest after opening its exhibition schedule with a home win over Houston and a loss on the road to Tennessee this past Saturday.

The Jaguars, also 1-1, have a win over New England and a loss to Tampa this preseason.

The famed "dress-rehearsal" third preseason game is generally the most exciting so let's buckle up. Here is what I'm watching tonight.

1. Cam Newton
A softball at number one. Barring a last-minute setback, seventh-year quarterback Cam Newton is on track to make his season debut tonight against the Jaguars.

Newton had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in March and has seen limited action in training camp and was held out of both of the team's first two exhibitions.

To say Newton had a rough 2016 is an understatement. The Auburn product and former Heisman Trophy winner posted career-lows in quarterback rating (75.8) and completion percentage (52.9) as the Panthers deflated like a leaking balloon to a 6-10 finish.

Newton's 14 interceptions last season were his most since he tossed 17 as a rookie in 2011.

Blame a combination of head and shoulder injuries on the slump if you wish, but tonight marks the first step for Newton this season.

A healthy Newton goes a long way for the Panthers. We'll see tonight if he shows any signs of discomfort and/or rust.

I wouldn't expect to see Newton running a lot, if at all, but we'll likely get a sense for how he feels in live action based on a couple of series' against Jacksonville's first team defense on the road.

2. Curtis Samuel 
Another exciting player making a debut tonight. The rookie slot receiver out of Ohio State has been very limited in his first training camp with a hamstring injury. He sat out during both preseason contests.

We don't know how Samuel will look at this level. The word is he brings big time speed and play making ability, much like fellow rookie and Stanford product Christian McCaffrey.

Carolina's slot position was a bust last season with Philly Brown (now in Buffalo) leading the charge at the position. Brown would never be confused for a burner and actually had his worst statistical season in Carolina in 2016 as he hauled in 27 passes for 276 yards and just one touchdown.

Panthers assistant wide receivers coach Jerricho Cotchery held down the slot position during the team's Super Bowl run in 2015 and was serviceable. Despite running like he had a piano strapped to his back, Cotchery racked up 485 yards to go along with three touchdowns in the slot in 2015.

Samuel could revitalize the long-stagnant slot receiver position if his speed comes with reliable hands and crisp route running. We'll get a first glimpse tonight of whether or not the 2016 second-round pick is going to be a true weapon going forward or just Philly Brown 2.0.

3. First-team defense 
Carolina's defense had a tough day in Tennessee this past Saturday.

To be fair, a pair of sloppy turnovers put the Panthers first-team defense behind the proverbial eight-ball early and far too often, but third-year signal caller Marcus Mariota looked mighty comfortable either way.

Mariota completed 6-of-8 passes for 61 yards and a score and running back Derrick Henry plunged in for a pair of touchdowns.

In particular, veteran safety Mike Adams got beat on a touchdown throw in the corner of the end zone and veteran linebacker Thomas Davis looked rather out of sorts.

The Jaguars, who mustered just eight points at home in their loss to Tampa this past week, will be looking for something to build on offensively, meaning, it should be a good test for Carolina.

I think most of us are expecting the Panthers defense to be the team's best unit this season and we will need to see some good things tonight to continue to feel confident in that.

4. More McCaffrey 
McCaffrey is a special player. Or, he's going to be very soon.

McCaffrey already looks good. He has put together two solid preseason games and dove his way into the end zone on a 17-yard scamper against the Titans last week.

I'd imagine we haven't seen close to all of the numerous ways that the Panthers will utilize the speedy scat back yet, but I expect him to have another solid outing in Jacksonville.

I've heard some people say McCaffrey will rack up 2,000+ all-purpose yards this season as a rookie and I don't know about that. I do think he'll be good, but keep in mind, Carolina's offense still has Newton, Samuel and veteran power back Jonathon Stewart. Touches must, and will be, distributed barring catastrophic injuries.

I expect McCaffrey to be a factor this season, but don't get carried away.

Still, it's exciting every time he touches the ball and we should get some more of that tonight.

5. Offensive overhaul?
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera pulled no punches in expressing his displeasure for how the team's offense looked in joint practices with Tennessee and in the exhibition game against the Titans.

And he's not wrong to be upset. The Panthers first team offense (led by backup Derek Anderson) looked horrendous and handed the ball to the Titans twice in the opening quarter after wide receiver Devin Funchess had the ball punched out of his hands after a short catch and Anderson floated a pass over the middle that was tipped and picked off just minutes later.

We need to see something more from that first team offense tonight. Especially with Newton and Samuel finally taking the field.

I'm not sure anyone expects the Panthers offense to set the league on fire. In fact, I know it won't. However, that unit needs to be at least average to give the team a chance to win football games this season.

We know the defense is capable and full of veterans but at the risk of over-simplifying things, the offense must be able to move the ball-- something we saw barely any of against Tennessee.

That's troubling, even in the preseason.

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