5 Carolina Panthers who could be benched after Week 6 loss vs. the Falcons
By Dean Jones
Dave Canales is looking more frustrated with every defeat suffered by the Carolina Panthers this season. The head coach held high hopes his team could become one of the league's surprise packages in Year 1 of his tenure. This offseason positivity has vanished, replaced by more doom and gloom for an organization in disarray once again.
This was never going to be a quick fix, but the time to make personnel changes is almost upon Canales. He cannot continue to suffer execution errors in key moments and rely on a defense that cannot stop even the most mundane offenses. It's a complete mess. And desperate times call for desperate measures.
Week 6's loss to the Atlanta Falcons gave Canales plenty of food for thought. The Panthers kept things relatively close before faltering late. But make no mistake, things don't any easier for Carolina this weekend when they travel to take on the Washington Commanders.
A big effort is needed and changes could be afoot. With this in mind, here are five Panthers players who could be benched (for differing reasons) following their defeat against the Falcons at Bank of America Stadium.
Carolina Panthers players who could benched after Week 6
Claudin Cherelus - Carolina Panthers LB
This has nothing to do with Claudin Cherelus' performance levels. The Carolina Panthers must be pleased with what they've seen from their fourth-string linebacker during limited involvement. He got 67 percent of the team's defensive snaps in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons, holding his own in the face of significant adversity.
What Cherelus lacks in talent, he more than makes up for with effort. He's relentless in pursuit, but his lack of starting experience can lead to some positional issues without the presence of Shaq Thompson putting everyone in the correct spots pre-snap.
There's hope veteran free-agent signing Josey Jewell can return in Week 7 when the Panthers tackle rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. His proven credentials will be an enormous asset at a crossroads time for the franchise. That would likely demote Cherelus to a rotational role once again.
This is something Cherelus is probably expecting once Jewell gets the all-clear, especially with how well rookie Travin Wallace is adapting.