4 most important players on the Panthers who are not starters in 2022

Keith Taylor Jr. – Carolina Panthers CB

One of the strongest units on the Carolina Panthers remains at cornerback. Although the team was unable to keep hold of All-Pro Stephon Gilmore in free agency, there is more than enough exciting young talent for this group to thrive in 2022.

Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn will assume starting responsibilities and the Panthers will also give C.J. Henderson every chance to become a factor after taking his time to settle last season. However, another important figure on the depth chart is Keith Taylor, a second-year-pro who’s caught the eye significantly during offseason workouts so far.

Taylor got more playing time than anticipated as a rookie and made the most of it. He looked accomplished in coverage thanks to his length and athleticism, even though things tailed off a little down the stretch compared to what we saw from the Washington product earlier in the campaign.

There is a chance Taylor goes through the dreaded sophomore slump. But the Panthers won’t ask him to do too much and the early signs at OTAs and the team’s mandatory minicamp left enough reasons to suggest this won’t be a problem.

If all four projected cornerbacks on the starting rotation perform to the level anticipated, then the secondary is going to be a real force when competitive action rolls around.