Carolina Panthers Depth Chart
- NFC South
- Stadium
- Bank of America Stadium
- Head Coach
- Chris Tabor (Interim)
- Offensive Coordinator
- Brad Idzik
- Defensive Coordinator
- Ejiro Evero
- Special Teams Coach
- Chris Tabor
- Defensive Scheme
- 3-4
The Carolina Panthers were saying there was still room for running back Miles Sanders in the RB room after trading up in the second round of last month's NFL draft to take Jonathon Brooks as the first RB off the board. But that was before the team signed former Seattle Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny, who was with Panthers head coach Dave Canales in Seattle. Sanders lost the starting job to Chuba Hubbard last year amid the worst season of his career. It's hard to envision another team wanting to trade for Sanders and his contract, although the Panthers showed this offseason that they're willing to eat money to move on from underperforming players. The 27-year-old Sanders is now listed as third on the team's RB depth chart behind Hubbard and Brooks, making him undraftable in standard 12-team leagues this fall.
Carolina Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson will get a chance to compete for a starting spot with his new team after mostly playing as a backup and special teams ace with the Buffalo Bills. The 27-year-old will reunite with general manager Dan Morgan after Morgan famously pounded the table for the Bills to draft Jackson in the seventh round in 2020. Jackson's size (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) makes him susceptible to over-the-top throws, but he has a competitive spirit and is a good tackler. The Panthers could add another cornerback on the open market, but Jackson is going to have a much bigger role in his first year in Carolina in 2024. He has 152 combined tackles (129 solo), three interceptions, 28 passes defended, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in his four years in the NFL.
The Carolina Panthers signed outside linebacker Cam Gill and defensive lineman TJ Smith following a workout on Monday, the team announced on X. Gill spent the last four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after going undrafted in 2020 out of Wagner College. He was mostly a depth and special teams player for Tampa, collecting 29 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 40 career games. Smith, who was also undrafted out of the class of 2020, spent the last three years with the Minnesota Vikings and appeared in just five total games. Neither player is likely to push for a starting role, but depth jobs are up for grabs in the offseason and training camp, especially for a rebuilding franchise like Carolina.
Carolina Panthers rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders said his goal in the NFL is to be as good as former All-Pro Greg Olsen. Sanders, a converted receiver at Texas, averaged 49.5 catches a year with the Longhorns with an average of 648 yards and 3.5 touchdowns. His role with the Panthers is not clear yet, but head coach Dave Canales said on Saturday that Sanders will play both the "F" and the "Y" roles, dependent on pass plays versus 12 personnel. "He's a guy, you can move around a little bit more, maybe play him in the slot a little bit," Canales said, adding, "we look for those versatile type of tight ends." The 21-year-old was taken with the 101st overall pick in the fourth round this year but could immediately become the team's best pass-catching tight end over both Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas. Still, fantasy managers in single-year leagues in 2024 should temper expectations for Sanders in Carolina's offense.
Carolina Panthers rookie first-round wide receiver Xavier Legette, who was taken 32nd overall in this year's NFL draft last month, has had trouble connecting with the team's rookie quarterbacks so far in rookie minicamp practices. Legette has always had the size-speed combination -- his 4.39-second 40-yard dash tied for the sixth-fastest among wideouts at this year's scouting combine -- but he kept hearing that he had to improve as a route-runner as he took part in Senior Bowl practices and the combine. At 6-foot-1, 221 pounds, some questioned Legette's ability to drop his hips and quickly get out of his breaks. Legette has been compared physically to DK Metcalf, who Panthers head coach Dave Canales worked with in Seattle. At the very least, Legette will give second-year QB Bryce Young a speed, big-bodied target deep down the field in 2024, but expecting much more than that might be unwise in 2024.