5 young Panthers players to keep a close eye on at training camp
By Dean Jones
Yetur Gross-Matos – Carolina Panthers DE
It’s hard to know exactly what the Carolina Panthers have where Yetur Gross-Matos is concerned. The defensive end showed glimpses of enormous promise when he was on the field as a rookie, but injuries, a concussion, and a spell on the COVID-19 list restricted him to just seven starts.
Gross-Matos showed enough to suggest he might be capable of filling out a starting role somewhere down the line. This is dependent on staying healthy and working hard to improve areas of his game that need some additional development.
The Panthers brought in some substantial reinforcements on their defensive front this offseason, which lays down a gauntlet to Gross-Matos in Year 2 of his professional career.
If he cannot produce when it matters most. There are others on the depth chart that can.
Nobody will know what’s expected more than Gross-Matos himself.
He arrived from Penn State with a glowing reputation for causing havoc in opposing backfields, which seems to have translated well if his 2.5 sacks, six quarterback hits, and 12 pressures from 36 percent of the team’s defensive snaps are any indication.
However, what comes next for Gross-Matos will be equally as important. And it’ll be interesting to see how the player brings his undoubted gifts on at training camp.