Tag: Panthers Rookies

Panthers rookie watch: Yetur Gross-Matos flashes monster potential

If he can stay on the field consistently, Gross-Matos might just develop into a dominant defender like Brian Burns. 

The Panthers lost their seventh game out of eight yesterday, falling to the Broncos 32-27 at home.

On the bright side, a couple of Carolina’s rookies stepped up with a significant increase in playing time. Here’s how the kids did this week.

Yetur Gross-Matos flashed a lot

Gross-Matos has flown under the radar a bit this year but he flashed a lot on Sunday with his ability to get consistent pressure on Denver quarterback Drew Lock. He played 69% of the team’s defensive snaps and finished with four tackles (one for a loss) and two QB hits.

If he can stay on the field, Gross-Matos might just develop into a dominant defensive end like Brian Burns.

Jeremy Chinn is going to be special

Every week Chinn finds a new way to impact the game. Against Minnesota, he ran back two fumbles for touchdowns. This time around, Chinn blew up Lock on a blitz that almost resulted in a defensive score for Efe Obada.

Chinn also made several dazzling tackles in the open field. He leads all NFL rookies with 94 this season.

Bravvion Roy stepped up

With starter Zach Kerr on the reserve/COVID-19 list, sixth-round pick Bravvion Roy earned another start and did well for himself. He posted three tackles, including half of one for a loss.

Derrick Brown still searching for first sack

Carolina’s first-round pick is still looking for his first sack in the NFL. Brown got a few pressures on Lock and one QB hit but still couldn’t get into the sack column. At least he didn’t have any penalties this week.

Seventh-round pick Stantley Thomas-Oliver saw his defensive snap count drop to just four with the return of Donte Jackson to the lineup, Myles Hartsfield continues to be a core special teams contributor and Kenny Robinson was inactive again.

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Panthers rookie watch: Derrick Brown’s hustle, Jeremy Chinn’s big hit

Panthers rookie watch: Reviewing Derrick Brown’s hustle and Jeremy Chinn’s hit from Week 11 win vs. Lions, plus a CB rotation.

The Panthers pitched a shutout for just the eighth time in franchise history yesterday, blanking the Lions in a 20-0 home win. They wouldn’t have done it without a solid performance from their rookie class of 2020.

Here is how the first-year players did against Detroit.

Derrick Brown showed his hustle

He still hasn’t gotten his first sack. First-round pick Derrick Brown came close a couple of times, though. Watch Brown chase down Matt Stafford from behind and get a hit just after his release.

That was one of two quarterback hits for Brown on the day.

Yetur Gross-Matos still working into rotation

Elsewhere up front, Yetur Gross-Matos split a sack with Efe Obada, his first since Week 4. That said, even after Stephen Weatherly went on the injured reserve list, his playing time has remained relatively limited for a high draft pick. Marquis Haynes (who balled out) wound up playing one more snap than Gross-Matos on Sunday.

Jeremy Chinn lit a Lion up

As for the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Month, Chinn was on the field for every defensive snap and pitched in four tackles, including that one time he killed a man.

In general, Chinn was relatively quiet compared to what we’ve become accustomed to. That’s fine, though. This year he’s been forced to make a disproportionate number of stops because the defenders around him (most notably Tahir Whitehead) were failing to do so. With Whitehead out and Jermaine Carter Jr. playing middle linebacker, the defense as a whole was much more on point, taking much of the work off Chinn’s shoulders.

Troy Pride, Stantley Thomas-Oliver traded reps

With Donte Jackson finally getting to rest his lingering toe injury, the Panthers tried something different at his position. Instead of giving all the reps to disappointing fourth-rounder Troy Pride Jr., they had him rotating with seventh-round pick Stantley Thomas-Oliver, who had seen very limited action this year. In the end, Pride played 33 defensive snaps and Thomas-Oliver 20. They combined for three tackles.

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Panthers rookie watch: Week 5 a bump in the road for 2020 draft class

Success is never a straight line.

Success is never a straight line. Especially for young NFL players who are still learning the game, there are going to be curves and bumps in the road as they develop. That was certainly the case for the Panthers’ rookie class of 2020 on Sunday in Atlanta.

Here’s a review of how the kids did this week.

DT Derrick Brown

For the second time this season, Brown committed multiple penalties. He was flagged twice for encroachment against the Falcons. Clearly this is something he will need to work on. Brown is still flashing plenty of power, though and affecting the game even if it doesn’t show up in the box score.

Brown also scooped up a fumble at one point, so it wasn’t all bad.

DE Yetur Gross-Matos

Gross-Matos saw his playing time limited by an ankle injury this week and only played 17 defensive snaps (26% of the team’s total). After the game, coach Matt Rhule did not offer any updates on his condition.

LB Jeremy Chinn

Chinn was the exception to the rule for the rookie class struggling on Sunday. He posted nine total tackles (six solo) and came through with a big pass breakup late in the game. Chinn played almost every defensive snap (98%) and now ranks sixth in the entire league in tackles this season.

CB Troy Pride Jr.

With Donte Jackson leaving early due to his lingering toe injury, Pride got a ton of playing time at outside corner. He played a career high 97% of the snaps. As opposed to Chinn, his performance was less encouraging. While he did post six tackles, Pride continues to have issues in coverage. He’s allowed a 119.2 passer rating when targeted and Pro Football Focus currently has him graded at 39.6 overall.

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Panthers rookie WR’s tweet could indicate he’s being cut

Tweet by Panthers undrafted rookie wide receiver Omar Bayless could indicate he’s being cut.

The Panthers have to cut their roster down from 80 to 53 players by tomorrow at 4:00 eastern time. Coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Thursday that some cuts may be coming today, though. While there’s nothing official, this tweet by undrafted rookie wide receiver Omar Bayless could be an indication that he’s going to be one of them.

Bayless doesn’t spell anything out here, but this is a pretty typical inspirational kind of tweet players usually share when they either get cut or suffer a serious injury.

While he had a strong start to training camp, Bayless has been out for a few weeks due to swelling in his knee which required surgery. Carolina placed him on injured reserve August 26. His recovery time is supposed to be only a couple of weeks. However, every rep was critical this offseason due to having no preseason games and Bayless’ absence at practice could definitely cost him a roster spot.

Originally we were projecting Bayless would take the team’s seventh and last wide receiver spot. Now, it’s looking more like they will only carry six.

There’s always a chance the Panthers will bring Bayless back, though. His size and catch radius make him a unique receiving option. Greg Olsen used to be the team’s best red zone target. Now that he’s in Seattle, Carolina needs somebody to fill that void.

Ian Thomas hasn’t proven he can be a reliable receiver yet and the other wideouts on the roster are all relatively small compared to Bayless. The fact that Teddy Bridgewater has been talking up Chris Manhertz as a potential red zone target says a lot about his total lack of options.

Even if there’s no room for him on the 53, Bayless would be an excellent candidate for the practice squad.

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Kenny Robinson, Stantley Thomas-Oliver III share photos in Panthers uniforms

Two Panthers rookies shared photos on Twitter today of themselves in their new blue Carolina uniforms.

Two Panthers rookies shared photos on Twitter today of themselves in their new blue Carolina uniforms.

Here is a look at fifth-round pick Kenny Robinson, a safety who played with Will Grier at West Virginia and then in the XFL in his new profile pic.

In the seventh round, general manager Marty Hurney came back to the secondary again and selected FIU cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver. He shared a tribute to his mother in his post.

Wholesome.

Day 3 picks don’t normally see a lot of playing time their first year in the league. These two may have a chance, though. After losing so many veterans, this secondary will have no choice but to rely on rookies and reclamation projects.

As far as the depth chart goes, Robinson is a natural free safety, so he should be considered the No. 2 option behind Tre Boston there. Thomas-Oliver is likely the No. 4 outside cornerback behind Donte Jackson, Eli Apple and fourth-round pick Troy Pride Jr.

The Panthers may decide to bring in another corner, though. They recently put in a claim for Ryan Lewis, who was awarded to Washington.

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How much cap space do the Panthers have going into 2020 training camp?

With training camp set to begin later this week, let’s take a look at the team’s updated salary cap picture.

It took a while, but the Carolina Panthers now have their entire 2020 NFL draft class under contract.

With training camp set to begin later this week, let’s take a look at the team’s updated salary cap picture.

According to Over the Cap, the Panthers currently have $10,072,824 in space remaining for this season. Only 12 teams have less. That’s not a whole lot of room to add talent at positions of need like tight end and cornerback, let alone if somebody important currently on the roster gets injured.

This is 2020, so naturally it gets worse from here, too.

Previously, we were expecting a significant raise in the team’s salary cap space for 2021 (up to a maximum of $90 million) with a lot of dead weight coming off the books. Unfortunately, due to a projected massive shortfall in revenue this year because of the pandemic, the Panthers and every other team will be going into a much leaner environment.

If the salary cap ceiling winds up being $175 million next year, Carolina would have just $9,371,349 left if they carry over their current estimated cap room, per OTC.

Hopefully the revenue drop is not as bad as projected and the cuts won’t be as deep next year. If not, the front office will lose a valuable tool as they begin phase two of the rebuilding period.

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Panthers rookie destroys anti-mask argument with one tweet

One way we can all help is to wear a mask in public.

The NFL is determined to start the 2020 season on time, with the Texans and Chiefs slated to kick things off Thursday, Sept. 10. Whether or not the league is able to finish it depends a great deal on the rest of the country getting the coronavirus pandemic under control.

At the moment, the virus is rampaging through the south and the southwest regions. Florida, Texas and Arizona are the hardest-hit states, with hospitals being pushed to the brink by a surge in cases.

One way we can all help is to wear a mask in public. Unfortunately, a lot of people seem determined not to. There are a lot of stupid reasons being offered as to why. The laziest of which is the “I can’t breathe in a mask” argument.

Observe Panthers rookie offensive tackle Branden Bowen demolishing that argument with this tweet from Sunday night, showing some of his former teammates at Ohio State working out in masks.

Amen.

Bowen is one of four undrafted offensive linemen currently on the roster. The team doesn’t have much depth at tackle, but a lack of preseason games won’t help his chances of making the cut.

Then again, the rules might be different this year. There’s been speculation about rosters being expanded to accomodate players needing to be put on IR due to quarantine measures.

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Panthers projected depth chart after the 2020 NFL draft

Panthers projected depth chart after the 2020 NFL draft

The last time we published a projected 2020 depth chart for the Panthers, it was a mess. There were massive holes at guard, cornerback and along the defensive line. Now that the NFL draft is over, things are much clearer.  In addition to an all-defense draft class, the team has signed 17 undrafted free agents and a few veterans to help round out the roster.

Here is our best guess at what the depth chart looks like right now.

Offense

QB Teddy Bridgewater P.J. Walker Will Grier
RB Christian McCaffrey Reggie Bonnafon Rodney Smith Jordan Scarlett Mike Davis Marcus Murphy
WR D.J. Moore Curtis Samuel Robby Anderson Seth Roberts Keith Kirkwood Pharoh Cooper Omar Bayless Damion Jeanpiere DeAndrew White Brandzon Zylstra Ishmael Hyman TreVontae Hights
TE Ian Thomas Chris Manhertz Seth DeValve Temarrick Hemingway Colin Thompson Cam Sutton Giovanni Ricci
LT Russell Okung Greg Little
LG Michael Schofield Dennis Daley Sam Tecklenburg
C Matt Paradis Tyler Larsen Chris Reed Fred Mauigoa
RG John Miller Branden Bowen Mike Horton
RT Taylor Moton Tyler Marz Matt Kaskey Aaron Monteiro
FB Alex Armah

Defense

RDE Brian Burns Christian Miller Marquis Haynes DaVonte Lambert Myles Adams
DT Kawann Short Zach Kerr Austrian Robinson
DT Derrick Brown Bravvion Roy Woodrow Hamilton
LDE Yetur Gross-Matos Stephen Weatherly Efe Obada Chris Smith
MLB Tahir Whitehead Andre Smith David Reese Jordan Mack
ROLB Shaq Thompson Sione Teuhema Jason Ferris
LOLB Jermaine Carter Jr. Jordan Kunaszyk Chris Orr
RCB Troy Pride Jr. Cole Luke Myles Hartsfield
LCB Donte Jackson Stantley Thomas-Oliver Derrek Thomas
SCB Jeremy Chinn Corn Elder
SS Juston Burris T.J. Green Natrell Jamerson
FS Tre Boston Kenny Robinson Quin Blanding

Special Teams

K Graham Gano Joey Slye
P Michael Palardy
LS J.J. Jansen
PR Pharoh Cooper
KR Pharoh Cooper

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