5 under-the-radar Panthers players that must step up at the Cowboys

Sean Chandler – Carolina Panthers S

Christian McCaffrey and Jaycee Horn’s injury problems have been well documented. That’s not the case with Juston Burris as the safety is also set for a three-week spell on the sidelines at a minimum after being placed on the reserve/injured list.

This is a blow to the player and the Carolina Panthers. Burris seems to get hurt every time he builds some momentum, so others will now have to make an impression with additional playing time.

Carolina has a couple of options at its disposal. They do like Sam Franklin and it wouldn’t be the biggest shock in the world to see Sean Chandler starting alongside Jeremy Chinn with Burris out.

Chandler came into the organization on the roster bubble before earning a place on the rotation. His performances so far have been encouraging on the whole and it’s clear the player’s familiarity with Phil Snow’s scheme from their time together at Temple has served him well.

Getting starting reps is another ball game entirely. But Chandler has more experience than Franklin and considering the Panthers also need to find a formula in pursuit of replacing Horn, this might be the smart way to go.

This is a fantastic opportunity for Chandler, who’ll be tasked with providing assurance on the backend and lending his tackling prowess to the second level on running downs.