Which Carolina Panthers players could emerge as potential sleepers to make the 53-man roster in 2023?
Carolina Panthers training camp is fast approaching. With most of the 53-man roster figured out before it begins, open spots for players to win will be hard to find.
There are always surprise cuts and injuries in training camp. This means that some players will have a better chance to make the regular season roster in Week 1 depending on how they perform in the humbling humidity Spartanburg provides.
Some players are a part of the camp roster to gain experience or earn a practice squad spot. There are also a few individuals on the bubble, but they are not expected to be on the 53-man squad.
However, anything can happen, and some have a legitimate chance at earning a spot on the Panthers if they catch the eye of Frank Reich and his exceptional staff team.
So before training camp begins for the Panthers, who are three sleepers who could make Carolina's roster this season?
Bumper Pool - Carolina Panthers LB
After having hip surgery and going undrafted, linebacker Bumper Pool enters training camp with an opportunity to prove himself after a solid four-year career with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Pool comes into a situation with the Carolina Panthers where there is not much depth at the position after the core players. With the salary number he has, the team can keep him as a special teams guy that can fill in on defense when needed.
He played his collegiate career in the SEC. The conference is viewed as the best in college football and Pool did a solid job on a team that got better every year.
There was a chance Pool would get selected in one of the later rounds of the draft, but nobody took a chance on the undersized thumper. Carolina did well to snag him, and he has a reasonable chance to make the 53-man roster.
Rejzohn Wright - Carolina Panthers CB
Rejzhon Wright finished his career at Oregon State with a great season. He enters Carolina Panthers' training camp with a chip on his shoulder after going undrafted, which was something of a surprise when one considers the outstanding athletic attributes at the defensive back's disposal.
Wright played so well that he earned first-team Pac-12 honors in 2022. The other notable cornerback on that list is Christian Gonzalez, who slid slightly before the New England Patriots picked him at No. 17 overall.
Wright was an integral part of the turnaround at Oregon State and a defense that ranked No. 31 in points against. His size and physicality against wide receivers are two traits that can be very valuable in a depth cornerback - something the Panthers desperately need given the questions surrounding others within the room.
The likely No. 5 and No. 6 corners on the Panthers' roster are Keith Taylor Jr. and Stantley Thomas-Oliver III. But if Wright performs in pre-season how he did at the college level and proves his worth, he will make it hard for Carolina's brass to cut him.
If Wright doesn't do enough, it won't be for a lack of trying. And there should be a place on the practice squad waiting in this scenario.
Camerun Peoples - Carolina Panthers RB
A string of injuries held back Camerun Peoples from showing his full potential at Appalachian State. But some performances he delivered before finishing his college career were extraordinary.
The most notable was a game where Peoples broke the bowl game rushing record against North Texas in 2020 when he ran for 317 yards on only 22 carries. An astonishing performance that obviously didn't go unnoticed by the Carolina Panthers.
The big running back is a talent Carolina should try to keep if they can.
At the moment, Raheem Blackshear is the likely candidate for the No. 3 spot in the backfield. But Peoples has an element of physicality and size that the Panthers are missing after losing D'Onta Foreman. And they need a ball carrier that can grind first downs and touchdowns in short yardage.
What holds Peoples back as a roster option is his limited ability out of the backfield as a receiver. That is a valuable asset for running backs who are second or third options on a depth chart.
If Carolina is comfortable with Miles Sanders as their one multi-dimensional rusher, Peoples can make the roster. And if he does, don't be surprised if the rookie makes valuable plays for the Panthers in 2023 and beyond.