5 Panthers players to watch closely in preseason game vs. Ravens
By Luke Gray
Which Carolina Panthers players are worth keeping a close eye on when they take the field against the Baltimore Ravens in preseason Week 2?
Carolina Panthers football is finally back in Charlotte. Fans will return to the Bank of America Stadium for the first time with limited restrictions for the first time since December 29, 2019, when the team was defeated 42-10 by the New Orleans Saints.
The Panthers are looking to bounce back from defeat at the Indianapolis Colts last week when they take on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens joined the Panthers for some joint practices down at Wofford College in Spartanburg this week, so this has given Carolina a good look at their next opponents.
With the upcoming roster cuts cutting the squad from 85-80, this is an important opportunity for some Panthers on the peripheral to stake a claim to make it through to the next stage.
Here we’ll take a look at five players to watch out for when the Panthers take on the Ravens.
Player No.1
Sam Darnold – Carolina Panthers QB
It seems Sam Darnold will make his Panthers debut on Saturday evening after Matt Rhule chose to rest the starters in Indy last week. After the final joint practice with the Ravens, the head coach told members of the assembled media that he was “leaning toward” playing his new quarterback a small amount.
Much of been made of Darnold’s acquisition from the New York Jets this past offseason, meaning the Panthers passed up on a signal-caller in the recent draft instead of going with cornerback Jaycee Horn – who’s certainly impressed at camp so far.
The pressure will be on Darnold in his home debut. It seems the former USC Trojan will at most play the first two series of the Ravens game alongside a few starters meaning he’ll have limited time to impress in his new home stadium.
With the man the Panthers left on the board Justin Fields impressing in his first preseason outing for the Chicago Bears, this sent parts of Panthers Twitter into some semblance of meltdown. A good performance from Darnold will go some way to alleviate some concerns.