We are still more than a month away from the start of training camp, meaning that this roster could see a few changes to it. As of now, the Panthers still have holes at defensive end, wide receiver, and quarterback.
Rashard Higgins and Terrace Marshall Jr. could vie for the No. 3 option in the passing game, but there is no certainty in that. Meanwhile, Robbie Anderson is coming off of a down year in which he caught only 53 passes for 519 yards.
On the other side of the ball, Carolina has to find a way to make up for the loss of Haason Reddick who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles during the first major wave of free agency. The coaching staff seems to be confident in Marquis Haynes Sr. and Yetur Gross-Matos to make up for that production, but it wouldn't hurt to add another body to the mix.
Then, of course, the rumors of adding a quarterback have not slowed down either. Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo are both still available on the trade market, but for a deal to take place, the Browns and 49ers would each have to agree to pay a significant amount of money.
Although changes are coming to the roster, NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal did a way-too-early projection of each NFC South's starting offensive and defensive lineups.
Offensively, the one that shocked me immediately was putting Matt Corral as the starter over Sam Darnold. Rosenthal did note, however, that this was based on who would end up playing more snaps by the end of the season. Still, I would have Sam Darnold in that starting QB spot, even in that scenario. Corral has a long way to go and the learning curve for him will be a big one. There's a good chance we don't see Corral on the field until late in the year unless there is an injury, of course.
The only other area that might end up slightly different is the left guard/center situation. If it were up to me, I would have it exactly as Rosenthal has it with Christensen at left guard and Bozeman at center. However, Pat Elflein is a guy the coaching staff still likes and he is getting paid to be a starter. If he starts, it would almost certainly be at center, which would then slide Bozeman to left guard thus kicking Christensen out of the starting five completely.
Defensively, I don't see how it could be any other way. This projected lineup is exactly how I envision it for Week 1 and unless a trade or key free agent is picked up, this should be the starting eleven.
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