As we continue to move away from free agency and on to the draft, the Carolina Panthers’ retooled depth chart is beginning to take shape. But with so many new faces and some shifts on both sides of the ball, what shape has that depth chart taken so far?
Let’s try to put together the current pieces of the puzzle.
Under center
| Position | 1st string | 2nd string | 3rd string | 4th string |
| QB | No. 1 overall pick | Andy Dalton | Matt Corral | Jacob Eason |
We’ll find out the answer to this one on the night of April 27.
Backfield
| Position | 1st string | 2nd string | 3rd string | 4th string |
| RB | Miles Sanders | Chuba Hubbard | Raheem Blackshear | Spencer Brown |
| FB | Giovanni Ricci |
The Panthers paid up for their three-down back in Sanders, who’s onboard with a four-year, $25 million deal. But will they stick with Hubbard as their second stringer or draft a bigger bruiser who’ll be better suited to complement their starter?
Pass catchers
| Position | 1st string | 2nd string | 3rd string |
| WR | DJ Chark | Laviska Shenault Jr. | Derek Wright |
| WR | Terrace Marshall Jr. | Preston Williams | |
| SWR | Adam Thielen | Shi Smith | C.J. Saunders |
| TE | Hayden Hurst | Ian Thomas | Tommy Tremble |
Thielen will get the work from the slot while Chark and Marshall Jr. stick to the outside. And Hurst, another new addition, jumps Thomas and Tremble to finally give the Panthers a pass-catching threat out of the tight end spot.
Offensive line
| Position | 1st string | 2nd string | 3rd string |
| LT | Ikem Ekwonu | Larnel Coleman | |
| LG | Brady Christensen | Justin McCray | Deonte Brown |
| C | Bradley Bozeman | Sam Tecklenburg | |
| RG | Austin Corbett | Cade Mays | |
| RT | Taylor Moton |
With Bozeman back, the Panthers are set to field the same starting offensive line that helped them finish the 2022 campaign relatively strong. They will, though, have to address the lack of depth at the tackle positions.
Front seven
| Position | 1st string | 2nd string | 3rd string |
| DE | Derrick Brown | Henry Anderson | |
| NT | Shy Tuttle | Marquan McCall | Bravvion Roy |
| DE | DeShawn Williams | Raequan Williams | |
| OLB | Brian Burns | Marquis Haynes Sr. | Amaré Barno |
| ILB | Shaq Thompson | Brandon Smith | Arron Mosby |
| ILB | Jeremy Chinn | Chandler Wooten | |
| OLB | Frankie Luvu | Yetur Gross-Matos | Kobe Jones |
Okay, there’s a lot to take in here with the new 3-4 front. It starts with Tuttle, who was brought on with the expectations of manning the nose tackle position.
Behind him should be a pretty fluid situation, especially given the nature of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s scheme and the versatility of his personnel. One of those pieces is Chinn, who is set to play closer to the line of scrimmage in 2023.
Secondary
| Position | 1st string | 2nd string | 3rd string |
| CB | Jaycee Horn | CJ Henderson | Stantley Thomas-Oliver III |
| CB | Donte Jackson | Keith Taylor Jr. | Herb Miller |
| SS | Vonn Bell | Myles Dorn | |
| FS | Xavier Woods | Sam Franklin |
Chinn’s move to the middle was made possible, in part, by the signing of Bell—who brings a ball-hawking, playmaking force to the secondary.
