3 winners (and 2 losers) from Carolina Panthers 2024 training camp Week 1

Loser No. 1

D.J. Johnson - Carolina Panthers OLB

When asked about the Carolina Panthers' edge-rushing room before camp, general manager Dan Morgan highlighted D.J. Johnson as someone fans and the media might be sleeping on. He wasn't going to say anything else in all honesty, especially as he was part of the front office that traded up for the development project at No. 80 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Johnson got plenty of starting reps over early workouts thanks to D.J. Wonnum's injury and K'Lavon Chaisson deciding to work out away from the facility. That was a big positive, but things reverted to type over the first week of training camp.

The former Oregon star spent the first day of camp working out alone on the side due to illness. Chaisson took over the mantle opposite Jadeveon Clowney and impressed. This puts Johnson on the back foot once again in his quest to firmly establish himself as a key rotational figure in 2024.

To make matters worse, the Panthers also signed Kemoko Turay following a successful tryout. He was preferred to the likes of Yannick Ngakoue and Carl Lawson, so Morgan and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero must like what they see from the former second-round selection out of Rutgers.

This makes it more difficult for Johnson in the coming weeks. Morgan's aggressive roster-building ethos means his spot isn't safe by any stretch of the imagination. Giving up on the player after one season is a definite possibility if the same trend continues before final cuts to cement the initial 53-man roster for Week 1.

That's without taking into account Johnson's age. He'll be 26 years old next season with just one mundane year of NFL experience to call upon. This only raises the stakes further ahead of Carolina's first padded practices this week.

Johnson and others in the edger rushing room should be nervously looking over their shoulders. The need to show out and catch the eye over Week 2 cannot be overstated.