3 Carolina Panthers players facing an uphill battle at 2024 training camp
By Dean Jones
Cade Mays - Carolina Panthers OL
The Carolina Panthers got the checkbook out to make significant improvements to their offensive line in 2024. Those in power needed to solidify the protection in front of quarterback Bryce Young. They accomplished this by spending big money on Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to become their new starting guard tandem.
Austin Corbett's switch to the center position could go either way. The Panthers also have a new swing tackle in Yosh Nijman and Brady Christensen as a versatile depth piece. Others further down the pecking order are scrapping for roster places - something that will become clearer during the team's training camp.
One player with a lot of hard work ahead is Cade Mays. He's been a forgotten man of sorts this offseason thanks to the influx of new arrivals. If those in power had any confidence in the former sixth-round selection, they wouldn't have acted with such urgency for reinforcements.
The fact Christensen is taking backup center snaps over Mays speaks volumes. But in all honesty, the Tennessee product hasn't done enough when called upon to warrant extended involvement as yet.
Whether that can change under the watchful eye of Dave Canales' coaching staff is debatable. Mays' versatility will help his cause, but beating out players like Nash Jensen and Chandler Zavala is the only way he's going to attain a roster spot in 2024.
The stakes are high for Mays. The margin for error is also slimmer than ever. Especially considering Canales' comments about having no sentimental attachment to any player as part of his grand plans for sustained on-field growth.
Unless Mays uses this added competition as a motivational tool, he could be looking for alternative employment when final cuts arrive. How the interior offensive lineman performs during preseason games will go a long way to determining his fortunes in 2024.