Which Carolina Panthers should you be focusing on in the team’s 2023 preseason finale?
Here are four players who should be of particular interest on Friday night:
QB Bryce Young
If you’ve been following along here all preseason, you’d know that Young was featured in this series twice already. But can you really blame us for going to the clean sweep?
Of course we’ll have our eyes on the No. 1 overall pick, who really didn’t get a fair chance to shine in either of his first two exhibition starts. Thus far, while dealing behind a struggling offensive line, he’s completed seven of his 12 passing attempts for 56 yards over five drives.
So, will Young finally get a clean pocket to work out from before the “real” games begin?
QB Matt Corral
Speaking of final chances for quarterbacks, this one will be a much more fateful outing. Being that Corral is the odd man out in the room, with Young established as the starter and Andy Dalton as the backup, Friday night will determine his future.
He’s looked, well, mediocre in his first two performances—completing 24 of his 35 throws for 197 yards and an interception. He’ll have to come out a bit stronger to warrant the emergency spot on the roster or, perhaps, another spot on another program.
G Chandler Zavala
With Cade Mays still nursing a neck injury, Zavala gets the de facto start for the second straight week. So, can he best his first performance?
Well, he certainly thinks so. The rookie told reporters this past Sunday that he thinks he can improve from his debut, where he allowed zero pressures over 21 total snaps.
And if he does churn out an even better game, it could go a long way in solidifying a lead in the right guard competition.
DT Raequan Williams
The Panthers surprisingly parted ways with former starting nose tackle Marquan McCall earlier this week. This man is a big reason why.
Williams has shined this summer, in both practices and in exhibitions. He was especially disruptive against the New York Giants last week, when he recorded a sack and a quarterback hit over 31 snaps.
Can Carolina’s new, at least presumably, starting nose tackle make a difference again?
