The Carolina Panthers revealed their initial 53-man roster for the 2020 season yesterday after Saturday’s cut-downs. As is the case every year, it looks a little bit different than we were anticipating.
Here are the seven biggest surprises about this group.
No room for DE Efe Obada
On Sunday morning, Obada tweeted about how grateful he was to make the 53-man roster again. Hours later he was waived, giving Carolina fans another low-key shock at the end of an offseason that seemed to be defined by popular players suddenly and unceremoniously being shown the door. Obada hasn’t played much. However, he has flashed enough to warrant a spot, even winning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors once. It’s possible the Panthers are hoping Obada he clears waivers so they can add him to their practice squad, which still has a few open spots.
Only three defensive tackles
One reason Obada’s release came as a surprise was the fact that he’d been taking reps on the interior during training camp. Carolina is going to need their edge defenders to slide inside often, because at the moment they only have three true defensive tackles on the roster. That’s a dramatic change coming only one year after having the deepest and most expensive interior rotation in the NFL. While it’s clear that certain positions like tight end and defensive tackle will be less important than in the past under coach Matt Rhule, Kawann Short, Derrick Brown and Bravvion Roy need to stay healthy or this is going to be a problem.
Another fifth-round pick cut
The Panthers used their fifth-round draft pick this year on former West Virginia and XFL safety Kenny Robinson. He was cut along with Obada and Matt Kaskey yesterday, marking another Day 3 miss for general manager Marty Hurney. While it’s true that Robinson didn’t impress beat reporters at training camp, to cut him this soon is a serious indictment. On the bright side, Robinson getting cut means the front office is feeling confident in the current rotation of safeties, which they should be.
Myles Hartsfield makes the cut
One reason the Panthers brass should feel good about their depth at safety is the arrival of Ole Miss defensive back Myles Hartsfield. He made headlines recently by taking reps at running back but he wouldn’t have made it if they didn’t like what they saw from him on defense. He can also line up cornerback, offering even more positional value. We were projecting that Hartsfield would make the practice squad. However, it’s possible he winds up getting significant playing time as a rookie. Hartsfield is one of three undrafted free agents who made the team.
Sam Franklin > Jordan Kunaszyk
Another college free agent who made the initial 53 is linebacker Sam Franklin, who played for Matt Rhule during his freshman year – which was Rhule’s last season at Temple before he moved on to Baylor. Franklin’s college production was impressive (eight sacks, 24 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, eight pass breakups) but it’s a mild surprise that he made the team instead of Jordan Kunaszyk, who has a year of experience in the NFL and looked sharp during the preseason in 2019.
Joseph Charlton > Kaare Vedvik
The third and final undrafted rookie who made the team is punter Joseph Charlton, who played his college ball at South Carolina. Charlton has demonstrated plenty of leg power during training camp, but he also booted a couple of punts over the wall. We were expecting the veteran journeyman Kaare Vedvik to make the roster, instead. Vedvik did make the practice squad though, so if Charlton bombs he might get called up.
Trenton Cannon > Reggie Bonnafon
Last but not least, the running back depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey has been totally shaken up from 2019. Reggie Bonnafon was McCaffrey’s main backup last year and he did a fine job, averaging 7.3 yards per carry on offense and playing over 50% of the team’s special teams snaps. Bonnafon also made the practice squad, but his spot on the roster went to Trenton Cannon, instead. It’s unclear what role Cannon will play given McCaffrey’s snap count and the veteran Mike Davis drawing so much praise from coach Rhule.
