After three weeks on the injured reserve list, the Carolina Panthers activated cornerback Eli Apple early Saturday morning. Under normal circumstances, Apple would be gearing up for a full game of starting cornerback duties opposite Donte Jackson. Now, his role is less clear.
So far, Carolina’s secondary has significantly outperformed the pre-season projections that ranked them as the second-to-worst unit in the league heading into 2020. That started with the improvement of third-year cornerback Donte Jackson, who has two interceptions and has only allowed a 64.7 passer rating when targeted, down from over 100 last year.
However, most of the offseason concern was about the other side of the defense, where no clear starter had emerged until very recently. The late arrival and early returns on Rasul Douglas have changed everything.
Douglas was thrown into the fire fast after Jackson suffered a toe injury early in Week 1 against the Raiders. The fourth-year corner came in and balled out despite having only a few days to learn the defense. He deflected two passes and made a few key tackles in his debut. Douglas has kept up the good work and is currently ranked among the league’s top-10 cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus going into Week 4.
Given the team’s success in the secondary so far, Apple’s role is more in question than when he first signed. We had projected him as the starter before Douglas was picked up. Now, we’re expecting Eli to play a backup role as he works his way into the rotation.
It would be foolish to take away Douglas’ starting job given how he’s performed from Weeks 1-3, and just as silly to pull Jackson given his hot start. Perhaps the injury to Apple was a blessing-in-disguise for the depth chart, since the Panthers are now faced with a good problem: having three starting-caliber outside corners on the roster.
This week’s matchup with an injury-plagued Cardinals team seems favorable for Carolina to keep the surprise momentum going, with two of Arizona’s top receivers in DeAndre Hopkins (ankle) and Christian Kirk (groin) listed as game-time decisions on their final injury report.
For now, expect to see Douglas keep his place in the starting lineup, but don’t be surprised if Apple steps in if either Jackson or Douglas has a rough game.
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