Carolina Panthers: Looking At The Panthers First Depth Chart

The Carolina Panthers are set to start their 2015 campaign with a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. While these games may not “count” to the official win-loss record this year, there’s still a lot that each team will learn during the next few weeks. The Panthers have released their first depth chart for this year. Taking stock of the starting lineup presents some interesting points of conversation early for the team from Charlotte.

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This will be the first glimpse of how the Panthers new offensive unit will function together. Kelvin Benjamin and Corey Brown are listed as the starting wide receivers. Ted Ginn, Jr., Brenton Bersin and Jarrett Boykin are listed as their backups while second-round draft pick Devin Funchess is listed among the third string players. However with his size and handling abilities he is expected to be a major contributor once the regular season begins.

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Fozzy Whittaker is listed as the backup running back to Jonathan Stewart, but fans should expect to see Cameron Artis-Payne from Auburn to get a significant amount of time on the field as well. Whittaker has also seen time filling in kick and punt return duties behind Ginn Jr. throughout training camp.

The Panthers offensive line is one of their biggest question marks coming into this season. Outside of Ryan Kalil and Michael Oher, the unit lacks a large amount of experience. There are a number of players listed to fill in each position and this game against the Bills will be the first chance to see who will be used in each place. The running game is historically a key part to the Panthers’ success as a unit. The offensive line is going to vital in protecting Cam Newton and creating lanes for Stewart. This will be their first opportunity to get time on the field together in actual play scenarios.

On the defensive side of the ball the secondary is the focal point for the Panthers. Tre Boston and Ron Harper are penciled in as the starters for the unit. Chris Houston’s retirement leaves a hole in the secondary. Josh Norman and Charles Tillman are set up as the main starters, but the opportunity is still open for the backup positions to be filled. The secondary played a major role in how the Panthers closed out the 2014 season, with a full off-season and training camp together the unit should be able to build upon that success through this year.

David Mayo, Shaq Thompson and Daryl Williams are the other three draft picks that the Panthers picked up this year and they are each slotted to appear on this initial depth chart.

The Panthers are set to play four games this preseason against the Bills, Miami Dolphins on August 22, New England Patriots on August 28 and Pittsburgh Steelers on September 3. Once that final game is played it will be interesting to see what official lineup the Panthers will put on the field to address many of the concerns that they have coming into this season.

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