5 Panthers who disappointed at Patriots in preseason Week 2 loss
By Luke Gray
Which Carolina Panthers players saw their stock fall with disappointing performances during their preseason Week 2 loss at the New England Patriots?
With the majority of starters sitting the game out, this gave many fringes players on the Carolina Panthers an opportunity to stake a claim for a spot on the 53-man roster at the New England Patriots on Friday evening.
Unfortunately for some, they were unable to take their chance as the Panthers lost 20-10 and struggled to find much rhythm, generating just 192 yards of total offense compared to 375 from the Patriots.
After the gritty joint practices during the week, we saw more fighting than playing at points. But head coach Matt Rhule resisted the urge to play any starters with only Brady Christensen and Ikem Ekwonu getting the nod.
We saw some positive signs with the likes of Brandon Smith and Amare Barno similar to preseason Week 1, but it was not a good evening for others. With this in mind, here are five players who disappointed against Bill Belichick’s men.
Player No. 1
Cam Erving – Carolina Panthers OT
If we’re being honest, if Cam Erving wasn’t under contract for a $6.5 million cap hit in 2022, he’d be in serious jeopardy of not making the roster. We saw in 2021 the type of player he was and it seems that nothing has changed during the offseason.
During the first quarter, Erving was running at right tackle before switching to his favored left, where he spent a painful campaign last season. What we saw from the former first-round pick didn’t leave many reasons for encouragement.
Erving is not a starting caliber tackle. In fact, he is below average. But his ability as a swing tackle means he’ll probably make the roster, coupled with the fact that the Carolina Panthers would have to take a big dead cap hit if they cut the player.