Stock watch: Who improved their standing on Panthers’ roster after Bills game?
There was a lot of excitement ahead of the Carolina Panthers’ second game of their preseason — one that promised a Bryce Young start, the Carolina debut of outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips and so much more.
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The game itself, though … didn’t live up to the hype.
The Panthers lost to the Buffalo Bills in pretty much every sense on Saturday afternoon in the newly unveiled Highmark Stadium. They lost on the scoreboard, 29-14. They lost in nearly every statistical category. And they also lost in faith in their starters: Young, who was slated to lead 10-to-20 plays on Saturday, only played nine — leading an uninspiring three three-and-outs.
Still, there were bright spots for the players the preseason matters most to: those fighting for roster spots. Here’s who improved their standing on the Panthers’ roster after Saturday’s loss — and who might have diminished theirs.
Wide receiver Ja’seem Reed: Two preseason games, two touchdowns for Reed. The second-year wide receiver who has been flashing his brilliance all training camp didn’t put together the most productive day — but it was still a highlight given the dim circumstances everywhere else on the Carolina sideline. His ascension this camp, with Kenny Pickett throwing him the ball, has been remarkable, akin to Brycen Tremayne’s of a year ago.
Outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen: The second-year pass rusher told reporters that he was hopeful that he’d wear sweats in the Hall of Fame Game last week. He didn’t — a reminder that this coaching staff still needs to see something from him. He played well last week, and he played well again against the Bills, earning a quarterback hit on each of the Bills’ QBs: Josh Allen and Kyle Allen. (He was also in on the mix on a key pressure in which Jaelan Phillips ultimately got the sack on the first drive of the game.)
Running back AJ Dillon: He looks healthy, he’s sure-handed, and he’s running hard. The running back, whom the Panthers might consider keeping for his short-yardage capabilities, put together another great week, this time mostly with the second-team offense. The competition between Dillon and Trevor Etienne — particularly with Jimmy Horn Jr. getting some more opportunities at kick returner — might start heating up over the next few weeks.
Wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr.: Speaking of Horn, he might have only notched one catch on one target for 11 yards, but his speed was remarkable on the only kick return he took: 31 yards. He also has apparently supplanted John Metchie in the depth chart — a big development after the Hall of Fame Game last week.
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Safety Zakee Wheatley: Six combined tackles for the fifth-round safety out of Penn State. He’s getting reps ahead of Isaiah Simmons and Demani Richardson. For a second-straight week in this preseason, he finished as the Panthers’ leading tackler, which isn’t good for the Panthers defense — a safety leading in tackles means that the offense carved up the defense — but it was good for Wheatley.
Tight end JT Sanders: Sanders played in the Hall of Fame Game last week, which was concerning. Then the news surfaced that the Panthers planned to sign tight end Darren Waller; also concerning. On Saturday, Sanders had a chance to defend his name — and the opportunities never came. He finished the game with one catch for 3 reception yards. (Yes, he also put on film a good lead block for a Trevor Etienne 10-yard gain on a Kenny Pickett swing pass … but he’ll need to do more these last two weeks of training camp.
Interior offensive lineman Chandler Zavala: The Panthers were without starting guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis on Saturday, and thus they trotted out Brady Christensen and Chandler Zavala to start. And while Christensen largely appeared to hold his own — at least in real-time — Zavala seemed to struggle. The third-year guard gave up a drive-halting sack (with Young in at QB) after getting thrown off his spot by Deone Walker. (This was the capstone of a particularly rough stretch for the offensive line. The play before, center Luke Fortner got called for an illegal-man-downfield penalty that undid a Panthers first down.)
Inside linebackers Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus: Panthers head coach Dave Canales said there was an open competition for the starting inside linebacker spot alongside Devin Lloyd earlier this week. Thus, Wallace and Cherelus had a chance to separate themselves Saturday. In short? They didn’t. Not really, at least. Cherelus notched the start, technically, with Wallace coming in thereafter, but neither stemmed a rolling Bills offensive tide. Cherelus finished with three total tackles; Wallace finished with two.
Defensive lineman Lee Hunter: The second-round draft pick has earned rave reviews from the front office and from his teammates so far this camp. But on Saturday, he didn’t pop on first review — no one along the defensive line did. Is this defense that reliant on defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who missed Saturday due to knee soreness? The Bills’ 195 passing yards and 83 rushing yards in the first half would answer in the affirmative.
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