Teams are required to unveil a depth chart before their preseason opener, and there weren’t too many surprises on the list the Panthers released Tuesday.

Some may see the left tackle spot as most notable — Byron Bell is listed there now, with Nate Chandler at right tackle — but that’s not set in stone. It won’t be shocking if the Panthers switch the two ahead of their second preseason game against the Chiefs.

And while the receiving puzzle appears like it’s coming together, plenty could change depending on who does and doesn’t perform in the preseason.

Jerricho Cotchery and Kelvin Benjamin should continue to be locked in with the ones, with Jason Avant right behind. Brenton Bersin can only lose his roster spot now. But it’s muddled after that.

Tiquan Underwood and Philly Brown are listed as third teamers, with Kealoha Pilares and Tavarres King getting an “others” tag. That’s not a good sign for Marvin McNutt, who’s had a disappointing summer.

But if McNutt or a guy like undrafted rookie Marcus Lucas have huge preseasons, they could leapfrog some folks.

It seems like it’s only a matter of time until linebacker A.J. Klein earns a starting spot, but that time isn’t just yet. Chase Blackburn is ahead of Klein at weakside linebacker, and it will likely remain that way when the season starts.

While Klein is a bigger part of the Panthers’ future, coaches love what Blackburn brings to the field and to the locker room. Receiver Jerricho Cotchery and defensive tackle Dwan Edwards are the only players on the roster with more years of experience (11) than Blackburn, a 10-year-veteran who almost sounds like a player-coach.

“I’ve been in training camp battles before. I’ve been in position battles. I’ve had draft picks come in behind me. It’s part of the NFL. But when we’re on the sideline, I’m going to teach (Klein) everything I can,” Blackburn said. “If it is him who goes in there, and that’s the best thing for our team, then he needs to be prepared in every aspect the same way mentally that I feel like I am.”

Two days after Josh Norman said, “I’m going to be that dominant guy, regardless of what anybody else says or thinks,” the other Panthers’ cornerback named Josh displayed his confidence.

“Can I be a starter?,” Josh Thomas replied after a reporter asked if he could win back the job he had in early 2013. “Man, I was a starter before. There you go. I feel like the sky is the limit for me.”

Thomas started five of the Panthers’ first six games last season, but injuries and coverage issues forced him to what was mostly a backup role the rest of the year.

His most infamous plays bookended the season. Thomas gave up a game-winning touchdown to Seattle’s Jermaine Kearse in the opener. Then in the playoff loss to the 49ers, he received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taking a swing at 49ers receiver Quinton Patton.

The NFL fined Thomas $7,000, but the 25-year-old said he won an appeal and got his money back. He also hasn’t let go of the notion that the Panthers were victims of sketchy officiating that day.

“I feel they were calling a bad game the whole game in terms out of fairness. I just know now to avoid those kind of situations, just to keep it clean,” Thomas said.

Like cornerback Josh Thomas, defensive tackle Dwan Edwards eventually lost the starting job he had at the beginning of last season.

When a hamstring injury forced Edwards out of fives games, he was replaced by Colin Cole. After Edwards returned in Week 9, he was productive, but he never regained his role with the ones.

Of course, it’s not like backups on the Panthers’ defensive line sit all that much. Edwards, Cole, Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short formed one of the deepest tackle rotations in the league last year, and the group’s back for another run.

“I’m old now, at least that’s what they tell me,” the 33-year-old Edwards said with a smile. “I can’t play 60, 70 snaps a game for a full season. So it’s nice to be able to rotate and stay fresh and hopefully be in there on those critical situations where we need something to happen.”

When the Panthers made over their receiving corps this offseason, few remembered Kealoha Pilares was still around. Mostly forgotten after tearing his ACL in the preseason last year, Pilares is trying to earn a fourth year.

The current favorite to return kickoffs, Pilares said his knee “feels better than ever.” And when asked if he lost any speed, he claimed the contrary.

“The (defensive backs) have been telling me I’ve gotten faster. I can just go off of what I feel, and I feel good,” Pilares said.