Carolina Panthers: Javien Elliott turning heads early on

Elliott is making himself known this preseason for the Carolina Panthers.

Training camp is always a ton of fun. There are names that make their mark that usually fly under the radar. The Carolina Panthers already have a pretty good idea of who will be in the starting lineup in the 2019 season. For now, it is about depth. There are a ton of players who could fill much-needed roles for the team. Cornerback Javien Elliott is one of them.

For those who don’t know who Elliott is, he has played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last three season. 2018 was his breakout year. He played in 15 games, starting five of them. Recording an interception, 24 tackles, and a quarterback hit, he showed he had versatility. Looking at his statistics, it seems like he has never gotten a full opportunity. Take the 2016 season for instance. He only appeared in six games, and started one of them.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary has been loaded the past couple of years, as the likes of Vernon Hargreaves and Brent Grimes have had a stranglehold on the secondary. Simply put, there has been a lot of opportunity for depth players at the position. Now, he looks to make a name for himself as a member of the Carolina Panthers.

Sunday’s practice was the first time that he really made himself stand out. It seems as though he can’t stay away from the Buccaneers, as he was signed the day after Gerald McCoy, a former member of Tampa Bay. Thus, it was easy to overlook him joining Carolina. After all, McCoy dominated most of the headlines as people were so excited about how he could help the defensive line. Now, it appears that Elliott himself is making some headlines of his own. As Max Henson of Panthers.com inferred in his Sunday practice observations, Elliott was all over the place, making plays on the football.

Head coach Ron Rivera had nothing but good things to say about Elliott. It is always great when you can impress the coach, especially as a newcomer. Having that experience with the Buccaneers must be very helpful in a situation like this. At the very least, he will have a leg up on the competition, especially when it comes to the undrafted free agents trying to make the team.

"“Javien did a very nice job,” Rivera said afterward. “He’s a proven nickel in this league. He’s played nickel and has had some serious snaps. I think the more and more comfortable he gets with what we do and how we do it, I think you’ll see his skillset show. Today was a good example of it.”"

Next. Initial reactions from depth chart. dark

I’m definitely rooting for him to succeed. He could be another crucial depth piece in what is beginning to look like a stacked secondary.

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