Taking a closer look at the Panthers’ preseason opponents

Panthers preseason: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 1)

First up on the Carolina Panthers preseason schedule sees them welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars to Bank of America Stadium. Doug Marrone’s men are widely expected to struggle in 2020 as their recent appearance in the AFC Championship game now seems to be a distant memory.

The Jaguars have placed a considerable amount of faith in quarterback Gardner Minshew. They traded big-money signing Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears after just one season under center and the onus will be on the second-year pro to make the most out of this opportunity.

This represents a good chance for the Panthers preseason to get off to a winning start. However, the Jaguars do have some playmakers on both sides of the ball that will need to be thwarted during whatever time they spend on the field.

Running back Leonard Fournette is heading into a contract year and will be looking to put up big numbers once again after a frustrating 2019 campaign. The same applies to defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, whose relationship with the franchise seems to be past the point of no return after some heated twitter exchanges with ownership following the NFL Draft.

Their secondary received a significant boost with the arrival of their first-round pick CJ Henderson. The former Florida standout has shutdown corner potential if he reaches his ceiling. But he is going to be thrown in at the deep end on a defense that went through considerable struggles during the previous campaign.