On Saturday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers will kick off their preseason by locking up with their joint practice partners in the New York Jets. But there will be battles within that battle, as there always is during the summer.
So, let’s take a look at four of the most intriguing of them . . .
WR: Jonathan Mingo vs. Terrace Marshall Jr.
Perhaps the most surprising placement on the team’s initial depth chart, the rookie Mingo sits with the first team alongside veterans DJ Chark and Adam Thielen. Meanwhile, Terrace Marshall Jr.—who stood out on a consistent basis during training camp—was settled in as a second-stringer.
With Chark and Thielen having their defined roles—the former as the speedy vertical threat and the latter as the high-volume slot guy—Mingo and Marshall Jr. could be battling it out for the X receiver job.
RG: Cade Mays vs. Deonte Brown
In another interesting touch to the depth chart, Brown is listed as the backup to Mays—the favorite to man the right guard spot for Austin Corbett. That put rookies Nash Jensen and Chandler Zavala as second and third options at left guard and veteran Justin McCray as the No. 2 center.
Brown, a former cult favorite amongst the Carolina faithful, has gotten lost in the shuffle. But the 2021 sixth-rounder, who’s had a solid summer, may have a shot at knocking off the 2022 sixth-rounder.
OLB: Yetur Gross-Matos vs. DJ Johnson vs. Kobe Jones
Now that Justin Houston is in the fold, the Panthers will have to figure out who’s in the rotation behind their new four-time Pro Bowler and Brian Burns.
And with Marquis Haynes Sr. still nursing a back injury, look for Gross-Matos, Johnson and Jones to get their chances off the edge.
ILB: Kamu Grugier-Hill vs. Deion Jones
Who will nab that first backup spot to starters Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu?
Will it be the former Pro Bowler and proven playmaker Jones, who’s been around for all of two weeks? Or will it be Grugier-Hill, the special teamer who’s making a case to be more than just a special teamer?
