During the rain-delayed warmups before Thursday's exhibition finale against Pittsburgh, Carolina Panthers cornerback James Bradberry was not in uniform.
Cam Newton and a bunch of other veteran players were in street clothes getting the night off, but it seemed unlikely Panthers coach Ron Rivera would do the same for a rookie.
But there was Bradberry, standing near the visitors sideline at Bank of America Stadium, the hood on his rain jacket pulled up. Resting a rookie in the preseason is a bit of a rarity _ even for the fourth game when teams sit their stars to guard against injuries.
The Panthers are prepared to do something even more rare this week in the season opener at Denver, where Bradberry and fellow rookie Daryl Worley are expected to be the starting cornerbacks.
According to Stats LLC, only one team since 1991 has started two rookie corners in Week 1 _ the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008, with Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr.
The Panthers could become the second.
Bradberry, a second-round pick from Samford, already has one spot locked down. Worley, a third-rounder from West Virginia, started all four preseason games.
But Rivera seemed to leave the door cracked Thursday at the spot opposite Bradberry, saying Worley, Bene Benwikere and Robert McClain had all played well at points during the preseason.
The third corner drafted by the Panthers _ fifth-rounder Zack Sanchez from Oklahoma _ was a surprise cut Saturday morning when teams pared their rosters to 53 players.
Whether he starts against the Broncos, Worley said he and the other two rookies are ready.
"We're young guys, but we have great, experienced guys around us and that instills a lot of confidence in us," Worley said. "We're definitely going to try to go out there and do our jobs. But most important, we're not trying to let those other guys around us down."
