4 thoughts on Panthers’ roster ahead of preseason finale: Should Carolina keep 3 QBs?

The final audition for Panthers players squarely on the roster bubble will take place on Friday at Bank of America Stadium as Carolina hosts the Detroit Lions at 8 p.m.

Following an eventful offseason and a competitive training camp in the grueling heat at Wofford College, the Panthers will be able to take everything they’ve learned from the summer and use that knowledge to construct their best 53-man roster ahead of the Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The preseason finale, which should highlight everyone healthy enough to play, will serve as the exclamation point on a long evaluation process.

As the Panthers await their preseason finale against the Lions, this writer has four thoughts on the current 90-man roster:

Does it make sense to keep three quarterbacks?

In short, yes. The new QB3 rule, which allows a team to roster an extra quarterback without impacting game-day roster limits, is a saving grace for someone like Matt Corral. In order to use the QB3 rule, the quarterback has to come from the 53-man roster, which means that the third quarterback can’t be a practice squad call-up.

There’s a train of thought that the QB3 rule should only be used for meaningful games where a catastrophic pair of injuries to quarterbacks could cost a team a chance at a playoff berth or win. But in reality, the rule should be used to give a team the best shot at a win, regardless of circumstance. Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL, so short-changing that depth chart, especially with a new parameter that rewards having a third quarterback, makes little sense.

Corral needs to earn the third job, though.

Corral admitted last week that his preseason debut against the New York Jets was uncomfortable, as he hadn’t played in nearly a year. He felt more comfortable against the New York Giants in his second preseason outing and it showed. Now, he needs to wrap up the audition process with a strong performance that shows he’s worthy of further development on the roster.

The Panthers spent a third-round pick on Corral just a year ago. He had a poor rookie summer before suffering a Lisfranc injury in last year’s preseason. The new staff has taken the time to develop and evaluate Corral this summer without the threat of competition (sorry, Jake Luton), and the payoff needs to be a strong performance from him against Detroit.

If Corral plays well, he should stay. If he falters, the Panthers should pay close attention to the waiver wire.

Injuries are piling up and that could impact roster maneuvering

If it seems like a third of the Panthers’ 90-man roster is sidelined right now, the perception isn’t that far off from the reality.

The Panthers are monitoring injuries for DJ Chark (hamstring), Terrace Marshall (back), Laviska Shenault (concussion), Donte Jackson (ankle), Austin Corbett (PUP-ACL), Henry Anderson (foot), Cam Erving (ankle) and several others.

With three notable wideouts — Chark, Marshall and Shenault — dealing with injuries, the Panthers may be forced to stash an extra wideout to reinforce the position during the cutdown deadline. The front office could also be forced to fill a role at the position with a waiver-wire claim. The same could be said at cornerback with Jackson and Stantley Thomas-Oliver (undisclosed) sidelined.

Amare Barno (undisclosed) is a special teams ace with defensive upside. If the Panthers choose to keep him on the roster, and he needs a few weeks to recover, the Panthers might to need to keep an additional player to fill the void on special teams as Barno recovers.

Erving, who seems like the favorite at swing tackle, could help someone else make the roster if he won’t be ready in a couple of weeks. Erving could also head to injured reserve, opening up another hole to fill from the waiver wire.

With so many injuries, recovery timelines and advance scouting come into play as the 53-man roster deadline looms. The Panthers will need to be strategic, especially with some notable names in the trainer’s room.

The Panthers should focus on young talent on offensive line

The Panthers are likely to finalize their offensive line group after rookie Chandler Zavala has his second outing at right guard on Friday. Zavala had an up-and-down performance against the Giants, but that effort came with enough positive results to keep the Panthers invested in his outlook at a new position.

If Zavala cements his spot at right guard, the Panthers’ depth chart will have significant clarity.

Ickey Ekwonu (left tackle), Brady Christensen (left guard), Bradley Bozeman (center) and Taylor Moton (right tackle) are solidified as starters. Cade Mays appears to be the unit’s sixth man, as he can play all five positions, making him effective against the numbers game on game days. Undrafted rookie Nash Jensen seems like a favorite for the roster, while Erving and guard/center Justin McCray appeal from an experience standpoint.

The issue with Erving and/or McCray is that neither has performed particularly well this summer. Erving will miss a second consecutive preseason matchup after suffering through a brutal performance in the opener. McCray hasn’t fared much better in the two exhibition matchups to this point, despite being a prized pupil of offensive line coach James Campen.

It is possible, and actually logical, for the Panthers to favor younger players on the depth chart, especially on the offensive line. Vested veterans (players with four or more years of experience) like Erving and McCray will have their contracts guaranteed if they are on the Week 1 roster. As assistant GM Dan Morgan said Tuesday, there is a risk with guaranteeing the contract of an older player with a notable salary or history of injuries. Erving is injured and McCray has been notoriously inconsistent throughout his career.

It might make more sense, if the team likes someone like Deonte Brown or Ricky Lee, to keep that young player instead of McCray or Erving, to protect him from the waiver wire and avoid guaranteeing a middling veteran’s contract.

Good teams tend to develop young backup offensive linemen instead of wasting expenses on older, inconsistent veterans.

Do the Panthers have any trade chips on the roster?

Obviously, the beauty is in the eye of beholder (or talent evaluator) in that regard.

Yetur Gross-Matos, even after a summer of catering to his strengths, doesn’t seem like a great fit in the new 3-4 defense. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Gross-Matos might be an interesting add-on for a team that needs a veteran 4-3 pass rusher. The Panthers might be able to swap Gross-Matos in a player-for-player deal that helps Carolina fill a need at another position.

Carolina is being conscious of its draft pick hauls over the next few years, so maybe a Day 3 pick could interest the front office in a swap involving Gross-Matos.

Linebacker Brandon Smith and wideout Shi Smith are fighting for their roster lives this weekend. But both of those players are young (and cheap) enough that they could garner some interest from teams who viewed them as intriguing draft prospects coming out of college. Thomas-Oliver (if healthy) and tight end Giovanni Ricci present some roster charm as versatile special teams aces, so they could interest a contender who would otherwise need to sweat out the waiver wire — with lower priority — if a trade wasn’t made.

Veteran safety Eric Rowe feels like someone who could suffer from the numbers game coming out of the preseason. If a team needs a veteran defensive back who can play multiple position, the Panthers might be able to land a conditional late-round pick.

Kicker Matthew Wright had a nice outing against the Giants last week, but Morgan said the other day that the team hasn’t considered trading him. There is a kicker problem that is building around the league, but Wright doesn’t seem movable heading into the matchup against Detroit. Maybe a special performance against the Lions can change things.

Pass rushers Kobe Jones and Eku Leota would benefit from Gross-Matos being moved. They could also benefit from a player-for-player trade if the Panthers are forced to move on due to the heavy numbers at the outside linebacker spot.