Carolina Panthers preseason fan mailbag: Injuries, Hall of Fame Game, Haynes King, and more!
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We've had a ton of news on the injury front this early cycle of training camp, and all of the reporting has fans buzzing. Let's dive right in to all your questions!
@WTMealey: Given the injuries would you adjust your win prediction or do we have enough depth and talent at other positions to sustain whatever your win prediction was prior to Training Camp?
I had Carolina somewhere between 8-10 wins prior to the start of the preseason. I'm leaning closer to 8 wins with the loss of Nic Scourton. WR Chris Brazzel's knee injury certainly sucks since he's also out for the season, but I think if a 3rd round pick from this season screws up their entire offensive gameplan, the team was in trouble to begin with. Hopefully the injury bug doesn't claim anyone else for an extended period. Godspeed.
brake23: Do you see the team picking up another seasoned veteran pass rusher or going after a young guy that is cut in training camp?
I could see them potentially grabbing a VERY cheap veteran pass rusher, as in; not one that would excite the fan base. However, I think its more likely they grab someone during the final round of cuts. This current iteration of the Panthers loves to grab a depth piece along the trenches as their 52/53rd roster spot during the final round of cuts.
SmoothC: Can we expect to see anyone who makes the roster to see much playjng time at the HOF game? I dont think we will
I think its more likely we'll see that on defense in the secondary, among the likes of Corey Thornton and Will Lee at CB, and probably Lathan Ransom and Zakee Wheatley at safety. I'd imagine it'll be the Haynes King and Kyle Trask show at QB, and we probably won't see much of Jonathon Brooks or really any of the top 4 WRs (possibly Xavier Legette) during the game.
I linked your comment for those who want to see commentary on potentially betting the game. I am not betting on a preseason game. I don't want to and nobody can make me.
SmoothC: If Panthers wasnt in the HOF game, they wouldn't have been in training camp a week early. If they wasn't in training camp a week early Scourton injury wouldn't have happened. Who do we blame?
I'm sure this question is half in jest, but I don't really blame anyone for the Nic Scourton injury. Its just a part of football.
positivebob: I know starters usually don't play much, if at all, in the preseason, but do you think Freeling and Brooks might be exceptions? Freeling is a rookie learning a new position and Brooks hasn't had but a handful of snaps since November of 2023. Do they need as many live snaps as they can get?
They probably both will get a handful of snaps in 2 of the 4 games. Jonathon Brooks might get a little more snaps in one of them, but I think the Panthers actually see him as a big time contributor this season, so I don't see him playing longer than a quarter (collectively) in any one game. With Monroe Freeling, I could see him getting a lot of work in whichever game the Panthers trot their 1s out for, but they need to be very careful with their tackle depth being so thin. So I'm guessing he won't get thrown out there when we see the offense playing musical chairs with the offensive line during the 2nd and 3rd team showings too much.
Brazilian Panther: With no Ickie, Moton and Scourton against the Bears week 1 (for now anyway) - knock on wood - give us your level of confidence on the team and Bryce especially. I want a W against Williams so bad man...
I'm not optimistic on that one. The Bears offense is loaded with passing weapons, and the Panthers offense typically starts out slow. If there's ever a game for this offense to come out fast, its this one. But I am not very confident in a win. I know, it sucks, I'm sorry.
Bull123: should we be concerned about Hunt or Lewis injuries? or it is just 100 degrees in July and just being careful?
From what I've seen, this is just standard veteran load management for those two. And I'm fine with that. Both aren't new faces to Carolina and both have been in the league for a long time. Giving them time off when they are feeling things like back tightness are the right way to go.
Bruce Guild: Once Haynes Kings takes over the QB1 position, can you see him also going both ways and filling in at OLB for Nic Scourton
I think its more likely he fills in for Scourton than he does take over the starting QB position.
joecats: Are all of these lower leg injuries we have been seeing due to the turf? Any chance we can fuss at the owner about this issue yet again?
The Panthers practice on grass. And the lower leg injury issue is actually a league wide problem. Of course, its hitting the Panthers harder all at once than usual, but this isn't a new thing, its been going on since the new CBA that lightened the schedule for players in preseason/training camp. I'm not suggesting that is ENTIRELY the problem, as I think the fact that athletes are just bigger and faster than ever before and training to become so has also progressed over the last decade or two factors in, but I do think players having to go full speed from an extended break can certainly be a factor. But I am by no means an expert on the human muscle anatomy or athletes by that matter. Just my personal opinions to try and make sense of it all.
dayneb12: What advantages and/or disadvantages do the Panthers get from being in the Hall of Fame game?
I think the competitive advantage is getting the extra game of tape on their 3rd and 4th team units, specifically along the offensive line and defensive front seven. They are going to need to rely on some potential unknowns as depth along those units so the extra look at the guys who could shape out the back of the depth chart is helpful.
Along the negatives, injuries are always a concern with another preseason game, so they may be very cautious to put anyone out there that could be relied upon in the regular season.
Advantage in general; its going to be nice to see Luke Kuechly get some extended praise for the NFL fans base's first real taste of football that always gets people tuning in just to see something resembling the sport they love.
That's all for this week, Panthers fans. Join us next week for another edition of this week's fan mailbag.