4 Panthers that can play themselves onto the roster in 2022 preseason

Cade Mays – Carolina Panthers OL

It was a quiet camp overall for Cade Mays. The sixth-round selection was used primarily with the third string to ease his transition, which was expected for someone deemed a development project with intriguing versatility coming out of Tennessee.

Mays will likely see the field for considerable reps during the preseason. Although the Carolina Panthers might also take this opportunity to improve continuity with their starting offensive line unit after chopping and changing the lineup in training camp.

All this is part of the learning experience for Mays and the Panthers clearly saw enough in the lineman to suggest a spot on the roster is well within his capabilities. However, there is increased competition for places across the protection this season, so nothing is guaranteed.

Veterans such as Dennis Daley are fighting for their NFL futures. So they won’t want to be upstaged by a young prospect like Mays before the time for final cuts arrives.

Mays is a hard worker with some technical flaws that need to be rectified before assuming anything more than a backup role. What comes next will be down to the player, so it’ll be interesting to see how he performs against others across the league looking to stake a big claim.