Tag: Trent Scott

Panthers Week 2 inactives: Fairing much better than the Saints

The Panthers have a few notable inactives, but the Saints are down and they’re down bad.

The most notable takeaway from Sunday’s inactive lists is that the Carolina Panthers are fairing much, much better than the visiting New Orleans Saints are. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t at least a few moves of note by head coach Matt Rhule.

One of those choices has veteran offensive lineman Trent Scott, a go-to depth piece from 2020, on the bench today. That, in turn, leaves third-round rookie Brady Christensen on deck for a possible shot on Sunday.

Fellow rookie Shi Smith, however, will not get any shot just yet. Despite progressing rather well through his shoulder injury, the sixth-round wideout will not grab his pads today.

Here is the entire list for Carolina:

WR Shi Smith
DT Phil Hoskins
G Michael Jordan
G Deonte Brown
T Trent Scott
TE Colin Thompson
DE Darryl Johnson

But, again, the moral of the story is that Saints are down and they’re down bad:

CB Marshon Lattimore
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
C Erik McCoy
DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
LB Pete Werner
QB Ian Book
DT Montravius Adams

New Orleans will also be without linebacker Kwon Alexander, defensive end Marcus Davenport and defensive tackle David Onyemata, who are all on reserve, and a handful of coaches due to COVID-19 protocols.

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Panthers give Taylor Moton more first-team reps at LT in Thursday practice

It’s *checks calendar* Aug. 19 and the Carolina Panthers are still using Taylor Moton at LT.

We’re not sure if we can bust out the ol’ “It’s Happening!” GIF just yet. But as long as the Carolina Panthers continue to tease us, it’s staying in the queue.

Many fans got yet another look at their offensive-line fantasy at Thursday’s practice, as Taylor Moton received the healthier amount of first-team reps at left tackle against the Baltimore Ravens. Moton, who is still regarded as the team’s starting right tackle, then had his usual spot covered by Trent Scott as a result of the shift.

While much of this can be attributed to the absence of Cameron Erving, who was off to the side and had his day end early, the prospect of a possible move for Moton is becoming more realistic. We’re currently on the last training camp outing of the season and he is still getting work from the blindside as the supposed incumbent has struggled to maintain a presence.

Erving’s current injury issues and underwhelming play over his six previous seasons could also serve as a potential precursor to Moton eventually manning the left. The newly-extended, newly-turned-27-year-old is already penciled in as the second option at the position. It may just take a prolonged recovery or a few slip-ups on Erving’s part at the beginning of the season to help this come to fruition.

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3 takeaways from the first Panthers-Colts joint practice

Panthers rookie CB Jaycee Horn was amongst those making some early noise during the team’s first joint practice with the Colts.

*inhales*

Do you smell that? Yes, it’s the pungent scent of iron sharpening iron. It’s the Carolina Panthers and the Indianapolis Colts meeting up for the opening stage in their weekend of regular-season preparation.

Kicking things off was the initial joint practice late Thursday afternoon, where head coach Matt Rhule and his Panthers were welcomed in to (what’ll hopefully be for the next few days) the friendly confines of Grand Park in Westfield, Ind. So . . . how’d it go?

Here are three takeaways from Carolina’s first little taste of tangible on-field competition here in 2021.

Panthers OT Taylor Moton says he’s ready to play left tackle if needed

However it plays out, this is the most important position battle to follow over these next few weeks.

The Panthers gave Taylor Moton a big payday earlier this month, signing their star right tackle to a four-year, $72 million extension.

Moton will have to earn his money. He’s become the only reliable starter for Carolina’s offensive line and he may be asked to play out of position this year. The team has a hole to fill at left tackle, enough so that Moton had to take a few reps there during OTAs due to a couple injuries.

After arriving at Wofford College for training camp today, Moton told reporters that he’s ready to play left tackle if needed.

At the moment, the favorite to win the starting job is Cameron Erving, who said he expects to be the front-runner when camp begins. Erving has not had a great run in the NFL, though – PFF has him graded out as the league’s worst offensive lineman since 2018. If Erving can’t win the job, guys like Greg Little and Trent Scott will get a chance.

If none of them work out, sliding Moton over to the left side might be the answer. While that opens up another hole at right tackle, it’s possible the Panthers have a solution. When he was drafted we assumed coach Matt Rhule saw Brady Christensen as a left tackle, but apparently they see him as a right tackle, instead.

However it plays out, this is the most important position battle to follow over these next few weeks.

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Panthers OT Taylor Moton says he’s ready to play left tackle if needed

However it plays out, this is the most important position battle to follow over these next few weeks.

The Panthers gave Taylor Moton a big payday earlier this month, signing their star right tackle to a four-year, $72 million extension.

Moton will have to earn his money. He’s become the only reliable starter for Carolina’s offensive line and he may be asked to play out of position this year. The team has a hole to fill at left tackle, enough so that Moton had to take a few reps there during OTAs due to a couple injuries.

After arriving at Wofford College for training camp today, Moton told reporters that he’s ready to play left tackle if needed.

At the moment, the favorite to win the starting job is Cameron Erving, who said he expects to be the front-runner when camp begins. Erving has not had a great run in the NFL, though – PFF has him graded out as the league’s worst offensive lineman since 2018. If Erving can’t win the job, guys like Greg Little and Trent Scott will get a chance.

If none of them work out, sliding Moton over to the left side might be the answer. While that opens up another hole at right tackle, it’s possible the Panthers have a solution. When he was drafted we assumed coach Matt Rhule saw Brady Christensen as a left tackle, but apparently they see him as a right tackle, instead.

However it plays out, this is the most important position battle to follow over these next few weeks.

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Panthers Highlights: Taylor Moton’s brilliant backside run blocking compilation

Watch this compilation of beautiful backside run blocks by Moton, courtesy of Brandon Thorn.

Offensive linemen have a thankless job. With the exception of a few superstar left tackles, few get any attention for the work they do in the trenches protecting their quarterbacks and setting up running lanes.

The Panthers have one of the NFL’s best (and certainly most underrated) OL in right tackle Taylor Moton, who can do both. Watch this compilation of beautiful backside run blocks by Moton, courtesy of Brandon Thorn.

Unless Moton signs a new contract before July 15, he’ll play the 2021 season under the franchise tag, costing the team $13,754,000. Moton is worth it, but obviously an extension is preferable.

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Panthers RT Taylor Moton takes practice reps at left tackle due to injuries

This year, it’s unclear who will take Okung’s place as LT1.

The Carolina Panthers burned through half a dozen left tackles last season due to injuries, most notably their starter Russell Okung, who missed nine games. That opened up opportunities for Dennis Daley, Trent Scott, Greg Little, Michael Schofield and your second cousin Jim, who all got reps on the blindside but were unable to stick.

This year, it’s unclear who will take Okung’s place as LT1. That point was underscored during Wednesday’s OTA practice, which saw the team’s criminally underrated right tackle Taylor Moton taking reps at left tackle. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a full-time move, though. Trent Scott and Cameron Erving were both out with undisclosed injuries and head coach Matt Rhule seems to think Moton’s experience on the right side is important, per the Athletic.

“He’s just got so much time put in there (at right tackle). So to go over, people could do it,” Rhule said. “But he just doesn’t have much time over there. . . But it’s something where we’re just giving him some reps. Just like the right guard sometimes plays left guard. Taylor’s a great guy, and he always wants to challenge himself and try new things, so that’s good.”

Odds are Moton would be better than any of the other left tackles on the roster, but that transition is not necessarily an easy one and doing so would just open up another hole at right tackle.

Hopefully third-round pick Brady Christensen’s size won’t be an issue and he’ll eventually take over at Okung’s former spot. He played left tackle during his time at BYU and only allowed three sacks.

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Panthers announce one-year deal for backup OT Trent Scott

The Panthers just announced they’ve re-signed backup offensive tackle Trent Scott to a one-year deal.

The Panthers just announced they’ve re-signed backup offensive tackle Trent Scott to a one-year deal.

Scott is one of several players who followed offensive line coach Pat Meyer over from the Chargers last year. He had previously been Russell Okung’s backup in LA. With Okung out 10 games due to injuries and health issues, Scott wound up starting nine games on the blindside for the Chargers in 2019.

Scott followed a similar path this past season with Carolina. Okung once again suffered from bad luck with injuries and missed nine games. Scott was part of a rotating cast of OL who tried their hand at left tackle when Okung was out. Greg Little, Dennis Daley and Michael Schofield also saw time at that spot. Scott started four games and played in 14. In the end, he was on the field for about a third of Carolina’s offensive snaps after being placed on IR late in the year with a shoulder issue.

Scott is the third pending free agent the team has re-signed this week. The Panthers have also brought back wide receivers Brandon Zylstra and Keith Kirkwood on one-year deals.

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Panthers place another left tackle on injured reserve

Trent Scott has been placed on injured reserve, ending his 2020 season with only one game to go

“Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” So said the hero of the 1987 cult hit fantasy/comedy The Princess Bride. You certainly don’t need to remind the Carolina Panthers, who have been struggling with injuries all season, especially along the offensive line.

Naturally, the pain has been felt most accutely at the left tackle position, a long-lasting thorn in the organization’s side. The team just announced another blow: Trent Scott has been placed on injured reserve, ending his 2020 season with only one game to go. In a corresponding move, Matt Kaskey was signed from the practice squad to take Scott’s roster spot.

Scott joins Dennis Daley and Greg Little on the IR list. He suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s win over Washington and was replaced by Michael Schofield, who normally plays guard. It went about as well as you might expect, especially when he had to block Chase Young.

Schofield is the fifth player to try his hand at left tackle this year for Carolina thanks to Russell Okung’s ongoing health issues. If they don’t feel like they can land a new potential franchise QB in the draft, that spot should be the top priority.

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Panthers place CB Rasul Douglas on reserve/COVID-19 list, activate 2

Carolina just announced that cornerback Rasul Douglas has been placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list.

One step forward, one step back. That’s the theme for the Carolina Panthers so far this season. The team has been ravaged by injuries to key players all season and lately they’ve been having issues with the ongoing pandemic, as well. Carolina just announced that cornerback Rasul Douglas has been placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list.

The move means Douglas will not be available to play in Sunday’s game against the Saints. He has been the team’s top-performing cornerback this year, so it’s a huge blow to a defense that’s already missing a few pieces up-front. The cornerback room is dealing with other problems, too. Donte Jackson has been limited by a toe injury since Week 1 and Eli Apple has only been on the field for six special teams snaps all year due to ankle and hamstring problems.

At least Apple has been a full participant at practice this week. We likely will see him and rookie Troy Pride Jr. getting the majority of the snaps at outside corner this Sunday.

On a positive note, the team did activate kicker Joey Slye and offensive tackle Trent Scott from the COVID list. Backup center Tyler Larsen and guard Michael Schofield remain on it.

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