The Carolina Panthers have preached the importance of competition at training camp. And those in power just subtly gave away the likely frontrunner in one of the most crucial position battles this summer.
Unofficial depth charts are exactly that. It's an initial projection but nothing more. Players can still rise and fall depending on their performance levels. It's always a subject of significant debate among the fan base, even if the final roster is a long way from being confirmed.
However, all eyes were still on who the Panthers would place as their starting center heading into their first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. After some probable deliberation among the coaching staff, Austin Corbett got the nod over Cade Mays.
Carolina Panthers placed Austin Corbett above Cade Mays for the starting center job
Corbett made the transition to center last summer after the Panthers spent lavish sums to make Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis their starting guard tandem in free agency. The move went well, but another devastating injury to the former second-round pick ended his campaign ahead of time.
A torn bicep was the issue. This extended a luckless run on the health front for Corbett, but the Panthers gave him another one-year deal regardless. And it seems as if the Nevada product is repaying this faith.
Mays won't be giving up without a fight. The former sixth-round pick was released last season but came back when injuries struck. It was a crash course for the player. However, he passed the tests with flying colors to get his exclusive rights tender triggered.
The Panthers are splitting reps between Corbett and Mays with the starting offensive line. That might be the case for the next few weeks before a final decision is made. Head coach Dave Canales hasn't confirmed anything one way or another, so it could still legitimately go either way.
At the same time, Corbett appears to be in the driver's seat. That might be narrow, so getting complacent just because he's listed as the starting center on Carolina's unofficial depth chart is not an option. Canales revealed that Bryce Young and the starters will play more in the preseason. Who performs the best at center could tip the scales in their favor.
This is not a bad problem for the Panthers to have. There was a time when Carolina struggled to find one good center after Ryan Kalil's retirement. Now, they have two, and that's only going to strengthen the offensive line's hopes of another dominant campaign.
Corbett could be ahead for now. But the margin for error remains razor-thin.