Panthers vs. Dolphins Preseason: Reasons to watch

Position Battles

The positions battles taking place along the offensive line, at quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback are heating up. In game two, the starters aren’t expected to play as much and so many backups will be given a chance to prove they belong.

At quarterback this is important as Garrett Gilbert, Taylor Heinicke and the rookie, Kyle Allen, battle it out. Derek Anderson served as Newton’s backup for his entire career but Carolina opted to move on from the veteran this past offseason and now looks to the future with one of these young talents expected to earn the position – Friday will be a good test for both Gilbert and Heinicke especially.

Starting positions remain up in the air at left guard and cornerback so fans will want to keep an eye on those two from the beginning. At guard, Greg Van Roten and Brendan Mahon are squaring off and in the secondary everyone is chasing Kevon Seymour, who struggled last week, to start opposite James Bradberry.

For wide receiver, the fourth and fifth positions are coming down between Curtis Samuel, Damiere Byrd and Wright. All have unique skill sets and are dynamic players but how many and who Rivera decides to keep remains of interest.