The Carolina Panthers will face the Buffalo Bills on Saturday in their first true preseason game. While the result itself won't matter much, there are several players who have far more at stake than the final score suggests.
Running back Jonathon Brooks is making his long-awaited return to game action. Quarterback Bryce Young is getting his first opportunity to run Brad Idzik's offense against another team. Xavier Legette is trying to prove that his strong training camp is more than just a collection of impressive practices.
All three have different reasons to be under pressure against Buffalo.
Carolina Panthers' key offensive trio have lingering doubts to answer, and quickly
Brooks is obviously the player everyone will be watching.
The second-year backfield force has not played in a game since suffering another ACL tear. Head coach Dave Canales has already confirmed that Brooks will play against Buffalo and will start after Chuba Hubbard suffered a hamstring injury.
That makes this about much more than production.
Panthers fans want to see the explosiveness that made Brooks such an exciting prospect coming out of Texas. But the first objective should simply be getting through the game healthy.
Brooks already cleared another major hurdle earlier in training camp when he participated in his first padded practice and took full-speed contact. The Panthers described that as a significant benchmark in his recovery.
Young's pressure is different.
Preseason is a great time for Carolina Panthers to hone offensive chemistry
The fourth-year signal-caller has already shown significant improvement over the past year. This game gives Young his first opportunity to operate Idzik's offense against players who are actually trying to stop him.
Sure, his workload will be limited, but he’s absolutely one to keep an eye on.
Legette, on the other hand, has maybe the most straightforward challenge of the three.
The Panthers have a crowded receiver room, with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker established ahead of him. But with third-round rookie Chris Brazzell II out for the season, it has opened the door for the 2024 first-round pick out of South Carolina once again.
Legette needs to look like the same receiver Panthers coaches have been seeing at practice. He's caught the eye constantly at training camp, but getting it done in a typical game-day setting is all that matters.
Brooks is trying to prove his body is ready. Young is trying to show the new offense works when the bullets are live. Legette is trying to prove his best football isn't limited to practice.
The Panthers don't need any of them to be perfect against Buffalo. They just need to see signs that the biggest questions surrounding each player are being answered.
Add us as a preferred source on Google