Dennis Daley and Brady Christensen – Carolina Panthers OL
We’ll put Dennis Daley and Brady Christensen in the same bracket as it will be one of the two assuming command of the left tackle position for the remainder of the campaign. Cam Erving is currently on the reserve/injured list, but it might be time for the Carolina Panthers to cut their losses with this experiment considering how poor he’s been since arriving in free agency.
Daley filled in for Erving at the Arizona Cardinals and was tasked with limiting Chandler Jones. A task he did reasonably well despite conceding a couple of frustrating penalties before going off injured.
Matt Rhule does not expect Daley to miss any time. But the eye-catching contribution made by Christensen when he came in for 13 snaps could mean a bigger role for the third-round pick down the stretch.
Regardless of whether the Panthers go with Daley or Christensen on the blindside, having Cam Newton under center helps them an untold amount. For all Sam Darnold’s flashes, his inability to recognize pressure and react accordingly was a constant weak link.
Not only this, but Darnold’s decision-making in these situations was erratic, to put it mildly.
Newton changes all that in an instant.
Considering how well the offensive line has progressed overall over the last month, there might be even more to come providing Daley or Christensen hold up their end of the bargain.