5 pleasant surprises from Carolina Panthers training camp so far
By Dean Jones
Ishmael Hyman – Carolina Panthers WR
The wide receiver room remains crowded with not many spaces potentially up for grabs. But count out Ishmael Hyman at your peril.
Being around the Carolina Panthers last season – albeit on the practice squad – has allowed Hyman to hit the ground running this offseason. The wideout made a solid contribution during voluntary OTAs and he’s built on this momentum over the first few days of training camp.
There is still much work to do where Hyman is concerned. So how he makes the most of targets during the preseason could eventually determine his fate.
One expects D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, David Moore, and Terrace Marshall Jr. to be locked in regarding a roster spot. Carolina also likes the potential of sixth-round pick Shi Smith both next season and beyond.
That would leave one more position between the likes of Hyman, Brandon Zylstra, Omar Bayless, and Keith Kirkwood. And make no mistake, there isn’t much between the quartet from the outside looking in.
All Hyman can do is worry about his own production and keep progressing. Whether that’ll be enough to go through into the regular season remains to be seen.