Complete Carolina Panthers Training Camp Preview
Carolina Panthers training camp starts Friday at Wofford College in scenic Spartanburg, South Carolina. Finally, after months of speculation and waiting, draft hype, OTA coverage and holding our breaths that no player would get hit by the wave of offseason suspensions, we’ll actually begin to see what the 2015 Carolina Panthers actually look like with their pads on.
The Panthers are in a bit of an odd place, historically. They finished 7-8-1 last season and will be trying to return to the winning ways they showed in 2013, when they were 12-4. That 2013 season remains their only winning record in the past six seasons, so there’s a sense of trying to figure out whatever made that season successful and recapturing it.
On the other hand, they’re the defending NFC South champions and look to be in a solid place to at least have a good shot at repeating. The New Orleans Saints lost a bunch of talent this offseason, the Atlanta Falcons are trying to work in a new coach bringing with him a new defensive philosophy and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a rookie starting at quarterback. When you’re the defending division champion as well as being the most stable of any of the franchises in the division, that bodes well for the future of your team.
We’ll find out which superficial label—losing record or division champion—best fits the franchise during this training camp and into the first few weeks of the regular season. While we’ll get to see some of how the depth plays in the four preseason games against the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s training camp itself that will give us the best view of what’s actually going on for the franchise.
Here’s your preview and guide for this year’s training camp—all the key new faces, replacements and position battles to keep an eye out for.
Offensive Overview
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The Panthers offense sputtered a little bit at the beginning of last season. Through their Week 12 bye, they ranked 22nd in the NFL with just 3,600 yards from scrimmage. They were 24th in rushing and 19th in passing. Their offensive struggles were really the primary factor in sputtering to a 3-7-1 start.
Then, after the bye week, something clicked. Over the last five weeks of the season, the Panthers had the sixth-most productive offense in the NFL, gaining 1,947 yards. No team in the NFL was better on the ground over that time period, either—the Panthers' 975 yards rushing was nearly 80 yards better than any other team in the NFL, and their 5.27 yards per attempt was in the top three as well, so it wasn’t merely volume.
That’s the mojo the Panthers want to carry over into 2015, which means they’ll be counting heavily on Jonathan Stewart. With DeAngelo Williams out of the picture, gone to Pittsburgh, Stewart will be the primary running back. That’s a little frightening from a durability perspective—Stewart has missed 20 games over the past three seasons and hasn’t had 200 carries in a season since 2009.
If they can keep him on the field, though, that’s something to look forward to. Stewart’s 4.6 yards per carry was a fine full-season number last year, and he was one of the top five running backs in football during the Panthers’ hot stretch down the season. There are worse things to build an offense around.
They’ll need to find a change-of-pace back for him. Fifth-round pick Cameron Artis-Payne fits the best stylistically, with him being a between-the-tackles pounder, but someone like Fozzy Whittaker or Jordan Todman, who has more experience, might be the guy at the start of the season. That’s something to watch for as a battle during camp.
That takes some of the pressure off of Cam Newton. The Panther passing game dropped in volume significantly down the stretch, with only 972 yards passing in the last five regular-season games. That was somewhat by design, though—having a strong running game opens things up for the passing game, as long as you run in volume.
Newton’s yards per attempt dropped to 6.39 after the bye, but his quarterback rating increased. A strong running game to open up the passing game seems to be the Panthers’ best ticket for success—and that includes Newton’s ability to move on the ground, as 45 percent of his rushing yards last season came after the bye. He’s healthy now, too, which should help his growth.
The receiving corps, too, will feature a battle between experience and potential. Kelvin Benjamin will return as the top receiving option—at least, outside of Greg Olsen, who’s still plugging away strong at age 30—but outside of that everything’s up for grabs.
Will the team go with the above-30 crowd of veterans with Jerricho Cotchery and Ted Ginn, looking for a history of production and reliability? Or will they be wowed by the potential of second-round pick Devin Funchess and last year’s undrafted free-agent find, Corey Brown? The answer is probably a combination of the two, with youth and potential gradually playing more and more of a factor as the season goes on, but this could shake out in any number of ways during camp and is probably the most exciting position battle to watch.
The most important position battles come on the offensive line, specifically at tackle. The Panthers already upgraded the interior of their line last season, as Ryan Kalil was joined by rookies Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner midway through the year. That’s a fine set inside with potential to become good.
The tackles, however, are more concerning.
Right tackle at least has plenty of potential. Mike Remmers played great down the stretch, stepping into the lineup for Nate Chandler. The career practice squad player still has to prove that it was more than just a small sample size fluke, but he didn’t allow a sack in any of the seven games he started, including the playoffs. Fourth-round rookie Daryl Williams has, in my opinion, more potential. Both are relatively unproven, but at least there’s hope that one, if not both, can become at least an adequate NFL starter.
At left tackle, however, the Panthers are stuck with Michael Oher—doubly so now that Jonathan Martin has retired. Oher has not been a solid player since his first couple of seasons in Baltimore, and he’s gotten worse every year he’s been in the league. The hope is that reuniting him with offensive line coach John Matsko, who coached him as a rookie in Baltimore, will bring out the form that made him a rookie sensation.
All the proverbial eggs are in that basket, however—if he doesn’t succeed, the Panthers' best option might be going back to Chandler. Oher should be an upgrade over Byron Bell, but that speaks more to how Bell played last year than any positive measure of Oher’s ability.
Defensive Overview
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By the end of the season, the Panthers defense was elite—they finished as the third-best in weighted DVOA when you include the playoff run, according to Football Outsiders. That about matches what they were able to do in 2013, but they started last season more poorly. Before the bye week, they allowed the eighth-most yards in football. After, they allowed the third-fewest.
What was the difference? It was gradual, certainly, and affected by the quality of opponent, but it also had to do with young players entering the lineup and playing well. Bene’ Benwikere returned to the starting lineup after injuries to provide very solid cornerback play, especially for a rookie. Tre Boston took over at free safety for good in Week 14. Kony Ealy, after significantly struggling early on, found a pass rush that had been sorely lacking in Greg Hardy’s absence. All three were 2014 draft picks, and while they took a while to get into the lineup and/or play well, they turned it on down the stretch.
Will Ealy continue his late-season form? Pro Football Focus had him as the worst member of the Panthers defense last season with a minus-14.9 grade overall, but his grade was a much more palatable minus-0.9 over the last five weeks of the season—most of the damage was done earlier on. He also graded out positively in terms of the pass rush, with 10 quarterback pressures post-bye compared to just eight before.
If Ealy can keep that up, develop further as a sophomore and provide some semblance of a pass rush from Hardy’s old position, this defensive line could be very good. Charles Johnson, Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short are all high-quality players you can build around. If Ealy—or Frank Alexander or Wes Horton—can provide a secondary pass rush from the right side, opposing offensive lines will have something to think about.
The linchpin of the defense, of course, is the best linebacker duo in the league. Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis have taken that throne and are the key stars on what could be the best front seven in the league. Other than the right end spot, the weak link in the front seven is the third linebacker position. A.J. Klein is solid enough in run defense—which is what he’s needed for, as he comes off of the field in nickel situations.
Will Shaq Thompson, the undersized yet talented first-round pick, show enough in run defense to immediately take that position away from Klein? He’s really more suited to be a pass-covering nickel linebacker, but Thompson’s not replacing Davis as a rookie, so it will be interesting to see where and how much Thompson plays this season.
Benwikere and Josh Norman would have been a fine set of starting corners, but the Panthers went out and added former All-Pro Charles Tillman to the roster. Tillman hasn’t been healthy since 2012, but if he can rediscover a fraction of that old form the Panthers have a very good trio of corners. Though, again, depth is somewhat questionable, with Melvin White being passable as a nickel but probably better suited for the dime role.
The biggest question marks on the defense remain at safety. Boston looked solid at free safety, but the aging Roman Harper is a something of a liability at strong safety. Kurt Coleman might battle for the spot some, but he’s better as a free safety than a strong one, so that remains to be seen.
The Panthers' relative lack of depth means that the injury bug could hit them harder than other teams, but if people stay healthy there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be a top-10 defense.
Rookies to Watch
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The Panthers bring with them the smallest rookie class in the NFL, with only five drafted players. This is a result of multiple trades. Here’s who they are and what roles they might play this season.
LB Shaq Thompson
Thompson has the potential to be the next Thomas Davis. The issue the Panthers have is that they have the current Thomas Davis on the roster already, and he’s not exactly slowing down. Thompson makes flashy, big plays with undeniable athleticism, but he’s really better against the pass than he is as a run defender at this point in time. That makes it questionable whether he’s an upgrade over A.J. Klein in the base defense. He might still win that job based on overall athleticism, but I’m more interested to see if the Panthers bring him in as a safety-type player in a big nickel package, either coming on instead of a nickel corner or replacing Roman Harper in certain packages. He missed a large chunk of OTAs thanks to his classes at Washington, so it remains to be seen how he’s deployed in 2015.
WR Devin Funchess
Funchess’ draft stock plummeted after a poor combine showing, but he improved on those numbers at his pro day. At 6’4” and 232 pounds, Funchess is a huge target. With Funchess, Olsen and Benjamin, the Panthers have a set of enormous targets for Cam Newton. The potential issue there is that Funchess and Benjamin are very similar types of receivers, rather than complementary kinds—they’re both large targets with large catch radiuses with questionable hands and middling top-end speed. That might limit somewhat what the passing game can do, but there’s no doubting that Funchess will be an enticing target in the red zone. By the end of the season he should become the second receiver on the depth chart, but he may start out as the third or fourth option and gradually work his way in.
OT Daryl Williams
My choice for the best value pick the Panthers made this offseason, Williams should be thrust right into the middle of the starting right tackle battle. His success in the running game, especially, makes him an interesting choice—if the Panthers are committing to a run-first approach, Williams might be a better player right now than any offensive tackle on the roster. His pass-blocking needs a little work on the NFL level—he kept his college QBs clean but his footwork is questionable, and elite pass-rushers should give him fits. Considering the level of competition, though, Williams might be the rookie most likely to earn a starting spot from day one.
LB David Mayo
A relatively unknown prospect from Texas State, Mayo is an adept tackler with a great work ethic, living in a shed while he attempted to make his dreams of playing football a reality. He’s not cracking the top of this linebacker depth chart, but he may have a role on special teams.
RB Cameron Artis-Payne
If you’re looking for a more downhill runner to complement Stewart’s running style, Artis-Payne might be the best option on the roster. He’s a tough runner and comes from a system at Auburn very similar to what Carolina uses. He probably gets the second-most carries for any running back on the team this year, though both Mike Tolbert and Cam Newton are likely to be bigger factors on the ground.
Undrafted Players of Note
Garry Peters is an interesting cornerback prospect out of Clemson; he’s light at only 191 pounds but is a tough competitor in bump-and-run coverage with good mobility. He could earn a dime or further depth role. Terry Redden has a chance to make the roster considering the relative lack of depth on the interior defensive line, with aging Dwan Edwards and Colin Cole being the primary backups at the moment.
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Notable New Additions
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OT Michael Oher
Oher struggled in Tennessee and struggled later on in Baltimore. Now he’s being asked to play left tackle for the Panthers, and that seems a touch optimistic, at best. General manager Dave Gettleman told ESPN, "In our spots where we were, there was not a left tackle at that point worthy of being drafted." He added, "If you have a position need, and you make a change and the guy you bring in is better than the guy you had before, you improve.” That does seem a little like “this was the best we could do." Perhaps reuniting Oher with offensive line coach John Matsko will pay dividends, but it feels like the Panthers will be in the market for another left tackle next season.
WR Ted Ginn
Yes, Ginn had good chemistry with Cam Newton in 2013, but that’s the only season in his last five years where he’s topped even 300 receiving yards or 20 receptions. He’ll get some work as the fourth receiver because of his speed and the lack of proven players at the position, but Corey Brown might be better there in the long run. Where Ginn will provide value is as a return man, where he still provides significant value, especially as a punt returner. I’d expect him to top those 20-reception, 300-yard numbers once again, but he’s not going to be a game-changing offensive player. Look for him on special teams.
RB Jordan Todman
Todman becomes the best experienced backup running back on the team with the departure of DeAngelo Williams. He’ll battle Artis-Payne and Fozzy Whittaker for the primary change-of-pace running back position. Todman’s good in pass protection, so that might be enough to give him the edge over Artis-Payne, but I feel that the rookie will show more on the ground and win the role. Todman also will battle Ginn for the kick-returner role.
WR Jarrett Boykin
Boykin had one very good season in 2013, catching 49 passes for 681 yards from Aaron Rodgers. That’s more Rodgers than Boykin, however, and a groin injury and the emergence of Davante Adams made him expendable in Green Bay. I don’t see him making any serious play for a major role on the team, as his skill set is outmatched by the young Cotchery and Funchess, but his experience might give him a fifth- or sixth-receiver slot as an improvement over the likes of Brenton Bersin or Stephen Hill.
S Kurt Coleman
Coleman played quite well for Kansas City last season as a free safety, leading the Chiefs with three interceptions. He also can play strong safety, though his numbers there haven’t been historically as good—he last played significant time there in 2012 with Philadelphia and was very underwhelming. He’s probably a reserve behind Harper and Boston at this point and a contributor on special teams.
LB Jason Trusnik
The Panthers didn’t exactly need to add more depth to their linebacking corps, but Trusnik provides a veteran presence who is likely to be more useful than David Mayo should anything happen to Kuechly this season. He can play all three linebacker positions and provide steady, if not thrilling, production. He’s liable to have a major role on special teams.
CB Charles Tillman
If the Panthers were getting 2012 Charles Tillman, the All-Pro, this would be a great signing. As is, it’s a low-risk, high-reward move. Tillman’s played only 10 games over the past two seasons, and he turned 34 in February. If he can see the field, he’s at worst an option to come on in the nickel, and likely would earn a starting spot over Benwikere. It does feel like a last-gasp attempt to return from injuries, facilitated by his old defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. If it works out, that’s great—but it probably shouldn’t be necessarily counted upon.
Filling the Voids
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Who will step in for the players who have left town? Who should you keep an eye on as they take on a bigger role, and what positions will be open for competition? Let’s take a look.
DE Greg Hardy (now in Dallas)
Hardy essentially more or less left town last season, after being placed on the exempt list due to his domestic violence allegations. Couple that with Frank Alexander receiving multiple substance-abuse suspensions and the Panthers were left with rookie Kony Ealy, Mario Addison and Wes Horton filling in, to less-than-thrilling results. Charles Johnson stepped up to fill in some of the pass-rush void, but no one stepped up to replace Johnson as the secondary pass-rusher. Ealy improved late last season and the team hopes that’s leading to a breakout year. Alexander is back as well, so a combination of Alexander and Ealy seems to be the most likely set for replacing Hardy going forward.
OT Byron Bell (now in Tennessee)
The Titans and Panthers swap their problematic tackles, each hoping they find more success in their new home. While Bell looks to back up Jeremiah Poutasi in Tennessee, Michael Oher’s coming in to be the starting left tackle for the Panthers.
OG Fernando Velasco (now in Tennessee)
Velasco’s starting right guard position was taken last year by rookie Trai Turner, with Velasco being demoted to primary backup interior lineman. Amini Silatolu, assuming he doesn’t win his starting guard position back from Andrew Norwell, is now the top reserve interior lineman, but Mike Remmers was working at center some during OTAs—if Daryl Williams earns the right tackle spot, Remmers might be the jack-of-all-trades sixth offensive lineman.
RBs DeAngelo Williams (now in Pittsburgh)/Darrin Reaves (unsigned)
Darrin Reaves was cut on July 28; he received more running back snaps than anyone other than Jonathan Stewart last season. Williams suffered with injuries and missed significant chunks of last season. That leaves the primary backup running back position open for a battle between free-agent acquisition Jordan Todman, rookie Cameron Artis-Payne and the returning Fozzy Whittaker. I’d have Artis-Payne in the lead for carries and Todman in the lead for pass protection. We’ll see how that breaks down in terms of snaps.
S Thomas DeCoud (unsigned)
Thomas DeCoud’s starting free safety role was taken over by Tre Boston just after the bye week. Boston will continue to start over him, with free-agent acquisition Kurt Coleman being the primary backup.
Veterans with Something to Prove
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Some veterans are guaranteed to make the roster, be it because of their upstanding play on the field or massive salaries that make them impractical to move on from—or both, in some cases.
If a player hasn’t flashed high-level play on the field and is more expensive than the cost of being cut and replaced by a rookie, however, a roster spot may be in jeopardy. The Panthers don’t have any huge albatross contracts dragging them down—the worst might have been Jonathan Martin, who just retired—but a hard salary cap sometimes necessitates tough decisions.
Here are some of the higher-priced players who have to show good things in training camp to keep their spot. Note that this isn’t a prediction they’ll be cut—I expect all three to make the final 53-man roster. Consider them the leading candidates for a “surprise” cut thanks to their cap hits.
All cap values courtesy of OverTheCap.com.
OG Amini Silatolu (2015 cap hit: $1,570,897)
As previously mentioned, Silatolu lost his starting job to undrafted free agent Andrew Norwell last season, which doesn’t bode well for his continued roster security. The 2012 second-round pick hasn’t really developed into the player they were hoping for, and he’s started only 10 games in the past two seasons. One of Chris Scott, Jordan McCray or Ricky Henry would be his cheaper replacement if the Panthers moved on.
DT Colin Cole (2015 cap hit: $1,050,000)
The Panthers brought Cole back on a one-year deal this offseason to provide interior defensive line depth, but only $80,000 of his contract is guaranteed, so that deal shouldn’t be considered as guaranteeing he’ll be around. Cole is also 35 years old, which is getting up there for a defensive lineman. I’m not overly thrilled with Cole’s quality, though there’s something to be said for veteran presence. Still, if signs of age hit him during camp, I wouldn’t be stunned to see someone like Micanor Regis, who received some praise during OTAs, per Black and Blue Review, push him out of a role.
DE Mario Addison (2015 cap hit: $1,020,000)
Addison’s under contract for two more seasons thanks to a 2014 extension, but he finds himself in what should be a very competitive competition for snaps at Greg Hardy’s old position. Addison has the highest cap hit of the bunch, which includes Kony Ealy, Frank Alexander and Wes Horton. If this becomes a situation where the players are at roughly the same level of performance, Addison’s larger cap number might make him the odd man out. There’s probably enough room on the depth chart to keep everyone around, but Addison is going to have to prove that he’s worth the larger salary-cap impact he brings with him.
Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Carolina Panthers. Follow him @BryKno on twitter.
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