Five takeaways from Panthers vs. Giants: Carolina’s O-line issues go beyond passing game

The Panthers scored their first points of the preseason Friday during a 21-19 road loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

After being shut out by the New York Jets at home last week, rookie quarterback Bryce Young was able to lead the Panthers on a scoring drive for the first time during his second series in the Meadowlands. Gifted 25 yards from three penalties by the Giants defense, Young led a 15-play, 62-yard drive that culminated with a 37-yard field goal by fill-in kicker Matthew Wright.

That “successful” series turned out to be enough for head coach Frank Reich, as Young didn’t return to the exhibition matchup following the made field goal. Young completed 3 of 6 passes (50%) for 35 yards on the night.

Young was better protected than the previous week, with rookie Chandler Zavala holding down the fort at right guard. Still, there were issues along the offensive line, as center Bradley Bozeman and left tackle Ickey Ekwonu had some rough reps against the formidable Giants front.

Here are five takeaways from the Panthers’ 21-19 loss to the Giants:

Panthers need to figure out the offensive line

Young was only hit once — a sack from the left side by pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux — but the line still had some headaches. The Giants have a great defensive front, but the Panthers’ offensive line felt overmatched routinely in the running game.

Chuba Hubbard, who started in place of Miles Sanders, ran the ball eight times for 30 yards (3.8 yards per carry) with the first-team offense. Hubbard was stopped on a 1-yard gain three times with the top blocking unit during the first half, as Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams owned the line of scrimmage.

Center Bradley Bozeman ended up on the turf regularly and there seemed to be consistent penetration by the Giants’ front seven as defensive coordinator Wink Martindale sent timely pressure up front.

The second-team offensive line didn’t do much better, as third-string running back Spencer Brown had little room to run. Brown was even stopped on a fourth-and-inches run in the second quarter. He finished with 10 carries for 26 yards (2.6 yards per carry).

The absence of right guard Austin Corbett (PUP-ACL) has been glaring throughout the first two preseason games, but the issues of the group extend beyond that position, and the Panthers have very little time to fix things.

Rookie Chandler Zavala did have some positive moments in pass protection against the Giants. Hopefully, for the Panthers’ sake, the fourth-round pick continues to improve and fills the Corbett void.

Bryce Young should play against Detroit next week

The Panthers clearly don’t want to give away their offensive playbook. The vanilla play-calling is evident to anyone who watched the offense regularly at Wofford College (even if it was a bit more drawn out Friday), and the results have been somewhat reflective of a couple of bland game plans.

Still, it’s fair to wonder if Young is having growing pains in his first glimpse of the NFL.

Young has looked cool and confident for the most part, even as defenders have consistently made their way into the pocket. His pedestrian numbers over the past two weeks — 7 of 12 for 56 yards — are likely the shared result of an extremely small sample size (five drives over two games) and a porous offensive line, which has done next to nothing in the running game, as well.

It’s unclear if Young will play against the Detroit Lions next week, but he definitely should. Yes, another outing risks injury with this miserable line in front of him, but it also gives Young and his weapons the opportunity build live-action chemistry. Playing it safe hasn’t helped anyone to this point.

A young defender emerges

Practice-squad holdover Raequan Williams, a fourth-year defensive tackle, got very little ink during the summer. However, over the past couple of weeks, Williams has done a nice job in practice.

The former Philadelphia Eagles lineman started against the Giants on Friday and had a stellar ballgame. The 6-foot-4, 303-pound lineman made a couple of early run stops before bringing Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor down for a 9-yard loss on a second-quarter sack. Williams finished the night with three tackles (one for loss), a sack and two QB hits.

Derrick Brown, Shy Tuttle and Marquan McCall are expected to be the three defensive line starters in the new 3-4 front this season. But Williams has the versatility to play all three positions in an odd front, and his fluidity on the line could snag him a job on the 53-man roster when everything is said and done.

Another kicker trade?

During the offseason, the Panthers paid kicker Eddy Piñeiro and traded away kicker Zane Gonzalez. The Panthers sent Gonzalez to the San Francisco 49ers in a convoluted conditional trade and moved forward with Piñeiro.

The Panthers could find themselves making another kicker trade this summer. Fill-in kicker Matthew Wright connected on both of his field-goal attempts — including a 53-yarder — against the Giants. With some kicker problems spreading out around the league during the preseason, Wright could be the next kicker to be moved in favor of a conditional draft pick. While Piñeiro is sidelined with a groin injury, his timeline seems to be favorable, as Reich has alluded to the kicker being held out of action as a precautionary measure.

Wright has played in the league for a little while, and his preseason performance could help him land a job elsewhere. Wright has a career field-goal conversion rate of 87%, so it’s not like he should have been considered a slouch to begin with.

Friday’s performance was good for both Wright and the Panthers, as it may have created some subtle trade value for the kicker.

Shi Smith shows up big time

With Terrace Marshall (back) sidelined and Damiere Byrd (hamstring) gone, the Panthers’ wideout depth chart has thinned out over the past few weeks.

Shi Smith has stepped up in practice with extra reps. The wideout carried over that momentum into Friday’s matchup, as he made consistent plays in passing game in the second half. Smith caught four of five targets for 59 yards against the Giants

The Panthers are likely to keep five or six receivers. Marshall, Adam Thielen, DJ Chark, second-round pick Jonathan Mingo and Laviska Shenault should make the squad. Smith is battling to be the sixth pass-catcher on the receiver depth chart.

Smith’s quest should continue next week against the Lions.

Quick Hits

▪ The following players did not participate in the road preseason matchup due to injury: WR Terrace Marshall (back); G Cade Mays (neck); QB Andy Dalton (back); RB Miles Sanders (groin); DE Henry Anderson (foot); OT Cam Erving (ankle); OLB Marquis Haynes (back); K Eddy Piñeiro (groin); TE Stephen Sullivan (undisclosed); WR Derek Wright (knee); DE Antwuan Jackson (undisclosed); CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver (undisclosed); OLB Jordan Thomas (undisclosed); CB Greg Mabin (undisclosed); CB Mac McCain (undisclosed); and G Austin Corbett (PUP-ACL).

▪ The following veteran players were given the night off: DT Derrick Brown, OLB Brian Burns and OLB Justin Houston.