Although the Carolina Panthers will enter the 2023 campaign with a new head coach in Frank Reich, they don’t have a roster that needs a total rebuild. Led by No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, Carolina’s veteran-laden depth chart could conceivably compete for the NFC South crown next season. What positional battles will the Panthers need to sort out as training camp approaches?
Top Carolina Panthers Training Camp Battles To Watch
No. 3 WR | Terrace Marshall Jr. vs. Jonathan Mingo
After being selected 59th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Terrace Marshall Jr.’s career could hardly have gotten off to a worse start. Over the past decade, 50 receivers have been chosen in the second round — only six pass catchers posted fewer yards than Marshall (138) during their rookie campaigns.
Marshall improved last season but still averaged just 35 yards per game and failed to earn significant targets behind DJ Moore, even after the Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey. However, he averaged 17.5 yards per reception, demonstrated an ability to produce yardage after the catch, and offered results as a deep-ball threat.
While Marshall has garnered praise from Carolina’s decision-makers this offseason, the team’s actions arguably spoke louder than their words. The Panthers signed Adam Thielen and DJ Chark in free agency and used the No. 39 pick on fellow pass catcher Jonathan Mingo, who will compete with Marshall to become Carolina’s third wideout.
Although Mingo didn’t produce in college until his senior season, he offers the size and speed to become a competitive slot receiver. He’s a good blocker, willing to do the dirty work in the run game, and his quickness and agility should make him a perfect fit inside in three-WR sets.
No matter who comes out on top between Mingo and Marshall, both young receivers could have an opportunity for playing time as the season progresses. Thielen stayed healthy for 17 games in 2022 but hadn’t completed a full slate since 2018 before that, while Chark has missed 19 games over the past two seasons and underwent ankle surgery earlier this summer.
Right Guard | Chandler Zavala vs. Justin McCray vs. Austin Corbett’s Health
Austin Corbett was outstanding in his first season with the Panthers, but the veteran right guard suffered a torn ACL in the team’s January season finale. Reich admitted after the draft that Corbett is expected to be sidelined until the regular season, leaving Carolina with a potentially gaping hole on what has become an underrated offensive line.
With Corbett’s injury in mind, the Panthers used a fourth-round pick on Chandler Zavala, who began his college career at Division II Fairmont State before ending up at North Carolina State. Although Zavala is currently dealing with a pectoral injury, he’s expected to be ready for training camp and could quickly rise up Carolina’s OL depth chart.
Zavala could reunite with his former Wolfpack teammate Ikem Ekwonu in the Panthers’ starting lineup, but he will face competition. While holdovers Michael Jordan and Cade Mays could factor into the equation, Zavala’s primary obstacle might be veteran Justin McCray, who signed a one-year deal with Carolina this offseason.
McCray is hardly a world-beater, but the Panthers did give him nearly $700,000 guaranteed on his veteran minimum pact. He also has 29 career NFL starts under his belt, which could give him a leg up on Zavala if Carolina only needs a replacement for a few weeks until Corbett is healthy enough to return.
Edge Rusher | Yetur Gross-Matos vs. Marquis Haynes Sr. vs. DJ Johnson
The Panthers have one top-tier pass rusher in Brian Burns, but they’re still searching for a complementary piece on the other side of their front. Carolina wants former second-rounder Yetur Gross-Matos to be their answer, but it’s unclear if he’ll fit as a stand-up outside linebacker in Ejiro Evero’s new 3-4 scheme.
YGM doesn’t have the size to play end in a three-man front, while he’s rarely been asked to drop into coverage (as he might have to in Evero’s system).
Marquise Haynes Sr. might be a better fit in Carolina’s front, and Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer reports that Haynes was a standout during mandatory minicamp. He’s been a situational pass rusher throughout his career, but he managed a career-high 41% snap rate in 2022 while posting five sacks.
Third-round rookie DJ Johnson is another option to see playing time on the edge, but he was viewed as a raw prospect coming out of Oregon and may need a season to develop.
The Panthers seem like an obvious candidate to add a free agent pass rusher before training camp begins. While veteran options like Leonard Floyd (Bills) and Frank Clark (Broncos) have come off the board recently, contributors like Jadeveon Clowney, Yannick Ngakoue, Justin Houston, and Robert Quinn remain available.
Floyd and Clark have set the veteran EDGE market rate at $6-7 million, a price that the Panthers — who have more than $26 million in cap space — can easily afford.
