General manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales are currently assessing the roster after another fascinating offseason program. The Carolina Panthers got in some solid work, setting the right tone for what's to come. Unfortunately, not everyone will come along for the ride.
The Panthers have improved options almost everywhere on the depth chart. Morgan has gradually raised the standards and intensified competition for places. The progress speaks for itself, but there is no room for passengers this time around as Carolina aims to make more noise in the playoffs.
Everything must be earned. Some have left a good impression so far. For others, their respective fates are hanging in the balance.
With this in mind, here are four Panthers players whose ice is getting thinner underneath them before training camp.
Carolina Panthers players firmly on the chopping block after offseason program
James Mitchell - TE
The Panthers' tight end dynamic remains a question mark heading into training camp. Morgan didn't do anything to upgrade the unit this offseason, keeping faith with the options available in the hope one or more can break out with Brad Idzik calling plays.
Whether they'll be able to is debatable. But the return to Carolina of Feleipe Franks this offseason doesn't bode well for James Mitchell's chances of making the 53-man roster for a second-straight year.
Mitchell made the team last season, but Franks is a much more effective special-teams performer. Tommy Tremble, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and Mitchell Evans are roster locks, so things are looking bleak.
Isaiah Simmons - LB/S
The curious case of Isaiah Simmons remains a subject of debate. Carolina gave him another shot to make a bigger impact with a one-year deal this offseason. He's taking nothing for granted, but the 2020 first-round pick out of Clemson faces a real fight to impose himself again.
Simmons has the athletic tools to be much more impactful. You don't become a top-10 pick without them, but everything just hasn't come together as yet. Where he's best suited is another talking point, but it seems like the Panthers would place him with the safeties rather than the linebackers when it came to the crunch.
The new contract gave Simmons a vote of confidence and a sense of stability he desperately needed. But it could still go either way.
John Metchie III - WR
There was an enormous amount of intrigue around John Metchie III joining the Panthers in free agency. Things haven't gone according to plan for the wide receiver so far, though he did well to get back at all after suffering a serious illness. And a reunion with quarterback Bryce Young will only help his cause.
Metchie and Young formed a devastating partnership at Alabama. It played a leading role in the signal-caller winning the Heisman Trophy, and it was enough for the wideout to become a second-round pick. That was a long time ago, but the chemistry never goes away.
The Panthers have a surplus in their wide receiver group. Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and third-round rookie Chris Brazzell II will all make it. It's starting to look like David Moore will, too, which leaves little room for the rest.
Maema Njongmeta - LB
Carolina's linebacking corps received a welcome boost with the signing of Devin Lloyd. He's firmly entrenched as a focal point, with Trevin Wallace expected to start alongside him. This has the makings of a productive tandem, but everything is up for grabs a little lower down the depth chart.
Maema Njongmeta is among those looking to stake a claim. He was signed off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad last season but didn't feature much on the defensive rotation. The former Wisconsin star did flash promise on special teams, which could be the only route he has to make the team again.
But with seventh-round rookie Jackson Kuwatch also boasting similar athletic credentials, Njongmeta's services may no longer be required.
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