Part 8 of a position-by-position Panthers' training camp preview. Who's a lock, who will be in a battle and who’s a long shot?
After Josh Norman, Bené Benwikere, and Tre Boston added much-needed youth and speed to the back end of the Panthers' defense late last year, Dave Gettleman went on his annual offseason shopping spree for veterans. He yet again went searching for deals with guys like Charles Tillman, Kurt Coleman, and Chris Houston. But from that mix, this list needs to be trimmed nearly in half by the time final cuts roll around:
| Position | Name | Year | Games/Starts | Age | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | Bené Benwikere | 2 | 10/6 | 23 | 6-0 | 195 |
| CB | Carrington Byndom | 1 | 3/0 | 23 | 6-0 | 180 |
| CB | Chris Houston | 8 | 99/91 | 30 | 5-10 | 180 |
| CB | Josh Norman | 4 | 37/22 | 27 | 6-0 | 195 |
| CB | Garry Peters | R | 23 | 23 | 6-0 | 200 |
| CB | Charles Tillman | 13 | 156/137 | 34 | 6-2 | 210 |
| CB | Melvin White | 3 | 30/17 | 25 | 6-1 | 215 |
| CB | Teddy Williams | 4 | 17/0 | 27 | 6-1 | 210 |
| CB | Lou Young | 1 | 0 | 23 | 6-1 | 205 |
| S | Marcus Ball | 2 | 12/2 | 27 | 6-1 | 220 |
| S | Tre Boston | 2 | 11/5 | 23 | 6-1 | 210 |
| S | Kurt Coleman | 6 | 74/32 | 27 | 5-11 | 200 |
| S | Roman Harper | 10 | 124/120 | 32 | 6-1 | 205 |
| S | Colin Jones | 5 | 60/2 | 27 | 6-0 | 205 |
| S | Robert Lester | 3 | 13/4 | 26 | 6-1 | 215 |
| S | Dean Marlow | R | 0 | 22 | 6-1 | 205 |
Locked In
Benwikere, Norman, Tillman, Boston, Coleman, Roman Harper, Colin Jones
Benwikere is a great fit at nickel, but he wants to win a job on the outside. To do that, he'll have to beat out Tillman, who's coming off two injury-shortened seasons in Chicago.
Harper will head into Spartanburg as the starter at strong safety, but he'll likely end up sharing snaps with Coleman.
Jones has improved each season since he came to Carolina in 2012. The Panthers love his versatility to help at safety, nickel, and on special teams.
Facing a Fight
Houston, Teddy Williams, Melvin White, Robert Lester, Carrington Byndom
If Houston can return from a toe injury that cost him all of 2014, he'd help raise the overall depth of this unit.
White, who slumped as a sophomore, has a lot to prove in Spartanburg.
Williams is perhaps the most interesting case on this list. A role as a special teams 'ace' is his best chance to stick around.
Long shots
Lou Young, Garry Peters, Dean Marlowe, Marcus Ball
These guys need to make major impressions at camp to have any shot at making the roster, but a couple could land on the practice squad. The Panthers remain intrigued by Peters, who sat out the entire spring with a hamstring injury.
Coming Saturday: Special teams
Rivera and Gettleman keep saying we gotta get faster. I think we’re looking pretty fast now but I wish they would give Colin Jones a shot at SS in Harper’s place. He’s the fastest guy in our secondary, maybe the fastest on the team and he hits like a LB. His cover skills were weak when he was first signed but he’s gotten real good at covering now IMO. They wanna keep him on the bench for his versatility but IMO they’re wasting what could be a great SS.
Totally agree. Hope Coleman can come in and fill his old swiss army knife role. I would luv to see him transition the SS job with Harper this year. He could be full time starter by next year. I don’t think we will need him at NB this year. Norman/Peanut/Bene/Houston may be one of the CB crews we have had in years. Plus I can see our 2 LBs able to morph into a hybrid SS in some situations.