Just how bad will the cornerbacks be?
The Panthers have a strange dynamic going on in their defensive backfield this year. Safety may be their strongest position on defense, with Myles Hartsfield and Sam Franklin bringing in some extra unexpected depth behind Tre Boston, Jeremy Chinn and Juston Burris.
You need strong cover corners to compete in the modern NFL though and this Carolina group might be thinner at this position than any other team.
At the moment, Donte Jackon and rookie Troy Pride Jr. will likely be starting outside. We don’t know who will be defending the slot as of yet and that’s probably not a good sign of things to come.
General manager Marty Hurney has tried to bring in more help late in the offseason by bringing in Eli Apple and Rasul Douglas. However, Apple will start the year on injured reserve and Douglas has a lot of catching up to do after just joining the team on Sunday.
There’s always a chance that these cornerbacks will surprise and play above what seem to be low expectations all around. Panthers fans had better hope that’s the case, or else it’s going to be a long year no matter what else happens with this team.
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