The Carolina Panthers are looking to hit the ground running in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fans are expecting bigger things from head coach Dave Canales' squad in Year 2 of his tenure, but it could still legitimately go either way.
Nothing but supreme execution and lasting contributions from everybody will do. The Panthers' roster looks a lot better on paper. However, there are a few problem areas that could potentially hold them back when push comes to shove.
One of those is the safety position opposite free-agent signing Tre'von Moehrig. Most fans want to see young guys like Demani Richardson and fourth-round rookie Lathan Ransom get a shot. But their first depth chart of the new campaign painted a much different picture.
Carolina Panthers look set to start Nick Scott alongside Tre'von Moehrig in Week 1
The Panthers, not for the first time this summer, listed veteran Nick Scott as the starting safety alongside Moehrig. Considering how the player fluffed his lines and became an afterthought last season, fans are right to be extremely concerned by this development.
Carolina is playing with fire. Canales and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero have both stated how well Scott is performing and communicating. That might be the case, but his lack of consistency when things mattered more was glaring throughout the 2024 campaign.
Scott got another one-year deal this offseason when most thought he'd be swiftly moved on. The Panthers cited him as a special-teams ace, but the signs suggest that Evero has much bigger plans in store for someone he worked with previously on the Los Angeles Rams.
Richardson and Ransom should be included at some stage. They are physical, explosive, and made a positive impression during the preseason. In the undrafted free agent's case, he also vastly outperformed Scott on the defensive rotation last season despite his lack of experience.
If the Panthers are a developmental staff, as they've been so keen to point out during this rebuild, then Ransom, and especially Richardson, would be involved over Scott. However, with no fans in attendance at training camp this year, it's been hard to gauge who's performing well and who isn't without some extra input from the outside looking in.
Should Scott get the start at EverBank Stadium, it wouldn't be surprising to see Jaguars head coach Liam Coen target him as a weak link. Baiting him in coverage and attacking him when runners reach the second level could be a dangerous proposition for the Panthers — something that places more pressure on Moehrig to set the tone on Carolina's backend.
It'll be interesting to see how things play out, but the fan trepidation is obvious.