The Panthers face the Bills on Friday night in their second preseason game of the year.
Here are 12 players to keep an eye on.
QB: Will Grier, Tyree Jackson
Cam Newton may see some action this week, but at most he will only play a series or two. The more important storyline at quarterback is the competition between Kyle Allen and rookie Will Grier to see who will be Newton’s backup. Allen was much sharper against Chicago than Grier, who threw a bad pick over the middle of the field. The Panthers will want a better performance from him this time around.
On the other side, the Bills have a rookie QB of their own in Tyree Jackson, who played college football at Buffalo. Jackson can’t compare to Newton athletically, but he is pretty much the exact same size and can also use his legs to move the chains.
WR: Terry Godwin, David Sills V
At wide receiver, Carolina has a logjam for the No. 6 and final spot on the roster. Last week, seventh-round pick Terry Godwin did his best to make his case on special teams, returning two punts for a total of 79 yards. If Godwin can also make an impression against a tough Bills defense, he may become the favorite to win that role.
As you’ll see, wide receiver is far from Buffalo’s strongest position. However, they do have a couple of interesting young pieces, like rookie David Sills V, who played with Grier at West Virginia. He was a scoring machine in college, posting 33 touchdowns the last two seasons.
OT: Greg Little, Cody Ford
The Panthers got a respectable debut from their second-round pick Greg Little last week. He only allowed two pressures facing the tenacious Bears front line. Carolina desperately needs Little to be ready to start Week 1 against the Rams, otherwise they’ll have to run with Daryl Williams at left tackle. The more progress Little can make in preseason, the better.
Buffalo also has one of this year’s top offensive tackle prospects. The Bills picked Oklahoma’s Cody Ford in the second round of the draft. Ford was one of several tackles the Panthers brought in for an official pre-draft visit. It will be interesting to see how he performs compared to Little.
DT: Gerald McCoy, Ed Oliver
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Panthers have the meanest and most expensive defensive line in the business. Veteran Gerald McCoy probably won’t play much, but any snaps he gets against a brutally bad Bills offensive line should be entertaining.
Buffalo’s top draft pick this year was Houston’s star defensive lineman Ed Oliver, who drew a lot of comparisons to Aaron Donald in the run-up to the draft. We’re not quite willing to go there, but Oliver should at least offer some quality competition for Carolina’s interior offensive linemen.
CB: Javien Elliott, Captain Munnerlyn
The most important position battle for the Panthers that’s yet to be settled is at slot cornerback. Rashaan Gaulden, Cole Luke and Corn Elder are all going to get opportunities. Our favorite to win the job though is Javien Elliott, who used to play for Tampa Bay. Elliott will get a real test if he lines up across from the ridiculously elusive Cole Beasley.
The guy that Elliott is fighting to replace is now suiting up for the Bills, like so many other former Carolina players. Captain Munnerlyn signed with Buffalo last weekend and should see at least some playing time.
S: Tre Boston, Kurt Coleman
Before slot corner became the top priority on defense, there was a massive hole to fill at free safety. Carolina finally took care of that by bringing back Tre Boston on a one-year deal. Boston started out with the second-string unit, but he’s now running with Eric Reid and the other secondary starters.
The Bills also have Boston’s old partner in the defensive backfield, Kurt Coleman, who spent last season playing for the Saints after three years in Charlotte. Coleman may be past his prime, but he has a lot of experience practicing against Cam Newton and the rest of Carolina’s offense.
