By 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, the Carolina Panthers and the NFL's other 31 teams will have to trim their rosters down from 90 players to 53. And while the annual cutdown will see many a talent part ways from the organization, it could also present a chance for the team to improve.
ESPN's Mike Kaye has named the Panthers' three biggest needs for the post-cutdown aftermath. At the top is the unfortunate situation at the off-ball linebacker spot opposite Devin Lloyd—where the competition between Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus may need some outside help.
Kaye writes:
The Panthers have staged a competition opposite Lloyd throughout the summer. Unfortunately for Carolina, neither Wallace (a 2024 third-round pick) nor Cherelus (a longtime backup and
special teams standout) has separated himself in the battle. Coach Dave Canales acknowledged as much Monday, stating the pair is "head-to-head ... and it's like neck-and-neck" heading into the final week of the preseason.
The Panthers may not even have to wait for the waiver-wire flooding to fix this position. Veterans such as Bobby Wagner, Bobby Okereke and even Shaq Thompson are still out on the free-agent market.
Kaye also lists guard and the defensive line as the team's two other biggest needs.
To see the guard position there after spending a massive amount of resources on Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt two years ago is not ideal, but it's really about their lack of depth. Brady Christensen is likely the next-man-up at both spots. However, the rest of the backups are pretty dismal at this spot—including several former Seattle cast-offs and 2023 fourth-round pick Chandler Zavala.
The defensive line is what it is—at least until Tershawn Wharton is healthy enough to return to the lineup. We would argue the edge rotation is a greater priority right now—unless the Panthers know something we don't about Pat Jones II, this group might suffer greatly from the absence of Nic Scourton.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: ESPN names Panthers' biggest needs as roster cuts approach
