Panthers coach Matt Rhule just wrapped up another Zoom press conference. Here are a few takeaways from his remarks with the media.
No plans for voluntary bubble
First up, Rhule says he thought about having a voluntary bubble for players available during the season but ultimately decided against it.
Matt Rhule says he put some thought into having a voluntary bubble during the season, but things have gone well so far. Hotel is available to players and the Panthers remain one of the few teams to not have a player test positive for COVID.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) August 14, 2020
Carolina is one of six NFL teams that have not yet had a positive test.
Praise for top three draft picks
After losing so many defensive veterans, Rhule will need to rely on his 2020 rookie class as much as any coach in the league. That means the team’s early-round picks will all have to pick things up quick. Rhule says first-round pick Derrick Brown and second-rounders Yetur Gross-Matos and Jeremy Chinn have stepped in and done a nice job.
Rhule says top three rookies drafted, Brown, Gross-Matos, and Chinn have stepped in right away and done a nice job #Panthers
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) August 14, 2020
As far as playing time goes, Brown is the only sure thing of the bunch right now. However, Gross-Matos and Chinn both should have a legitimate chance to earn a starting spot Week 1.
WR Omar Bayless is learning
The roster Rhule has been given is lean in a lot of places. One area he won’t have to worry as much is wide receiver, arguably the deepest position group on the team.
In addition to a strong 1-2-3 combination of D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel and Robby Anderson, there’s some potential further down the depth chart. Rhule says undrafted rookie Omar Bayless is learning the system and complimented his catch radius.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule says undrafted WR Omar Bayless is learning the system. Calls him a big, strong WR who a big catch radius.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 14, 2020
We are predicting Bayless will win the competition for the last wide receiver spot on the team. One reason is his size, which sets him apart from the rest.
A fan of RB Mike Davis
Rhule also went out of his way to praise veteran running back Mike Davis, who he called a pro. Apparently Davis is in the competition to be Christian McCaffrey’s primary backup.
Rhule: "I really like Mike Davis. He's a pro. He's done a lot of good things in this league. He's doing a lot of good things for us." … looking fwd to No. 2 RB competition
— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 14, 2020
Davis has the most experience at this position. However, the team can still save $3 million by cutting him. He will have to impress to avoid that.
Team will scrimmage ‘once or twice’
In an alternate reality, the Panthers would have opened the preseason last night against the Jaguars. With no exhibition games to get ready for the real thing, teams will have to adjust and create what competition they can.
Rhule says the team will probably scrimmage once or twice because he doesn’t want Week 1 to be their first time doing live tackling.
Rhule says #Panthers will probably scrimmage once or twice. “We’ll see how our health is as we go.” Says he believes in reacting to what the team needs, but anticipates that they will need some live tackling prior to Week 1.
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) August 14, 2020
Speaking of Week 1, the Panthers will be hosting the Raiders. Carolina’s young defense will be put to the test against a team that ranked ninth in offensive DVOA last year.
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