Projecting the Carolina Panthers 53-man roster ahead of preseason opener vs. Browns

The Carolina Panthers will kick off the preseason slate this upcoming Friday at home against Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns. That will also mark the first significant data point for the front office in their evaluation for the 53-man roster.

Where do things stand as of today? Here's how I see the 53-man heading into the preseason opener.

OFFENSE

QB (2): Bryce Young, Andy Dalton

Nothing surprising here. Jack Plummer will almost certainly serve as the emergency QB on gameday.

RB (4): Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne, Raheem Blackshear

With Jonathon Brooks out for all of 2025, it opens the door for another youngster to get an opportunity. Emani Bailey could sneak in if he has a strong preseason, but we'll go with the known commodity in Blackshear.

WR (6): Adam Thielen, Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Jimmy Horn Jr., David Moore

This has to be the deepest this room has been in years, right? I can't see how they take fewer than six — all are deserving of a roster spot.

TE (3): Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans

Tommy Tremble is still working his way back, but should be good to go for the regular season. If he suffers a setback of any kind, expect Tyler Mabry or James Mitchell to fill his spot.

OT (4): Ikem Ekwonu, Taylor Moton, Yosh Nijman, Brady Christensen

Great depth here at both tackle spots, considering Christensen and Nijman offer the ability to play both sides.

OG (4): Damien Lewis, Robert Hunt, Chandler Zavala, Jarrett Kingston

Nearly left Kingston off to allow for another corner, but for now, we'll wait to see if Carolina makes another move and provide more interior depth on the o-line.

C (2): Austin Corbett, Cade Mays

Mays provides great insurance for the oft-injured Austin Corbett. He played extremely well in his place a year ago and could push to be the guy beyond 2025.

Total: 25

DEFENSE

DL (7): Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown, Tershawn Wharton, Shy Tuttle, LaBryan Ray, Jaden Crumedy, Cam Jackson

Seven may seem like a lot, but I'm not sure they'll move off of Crumedy just yet, and they seem to like the value Tuttle and Ray bring to the table. Wouldn't be surprised if they only carry six, though.

OLB (5): DJ Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, Princely Umanmielen, Nic Scourton, DJ Johnson

DJ Johnson has to show some sort of progress to ensure his spot. A bad training camp/preseason could force the team to look at external options to round out this group.

ILB (5): Trevin Wallace, Christian Rozeboom, Krys Barnes, Claudin Cherelus, Jon Rhattigan

The Panthers added former Packer Krys Barnes on Sunday afternoon, giving them a little more depth. Cherelus and Rhattigan will be primarily used on special teams.

CB (4): Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Akayleb Evans

I've been saying it for months now — the Panthers have to get some help here. There's no way they can enter the season with this group and expect things not to hit the fan.

S (4): Tre'von Moehrig, Nick Scott, Lathan Ransom, Demani Richardson

The rookie, Ransom, could play a factor on special teams early, but I can also see him playing significant reps on defense by the midway point of the season.

Total: 25

Specialists (3): LS J.J. Jansen, K Matthew Wright, P Sam Martin

Total: 3