4 Carolina Panthers on the hot seat entering the 2023 season
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers find themselves on the hot seat heading into Frank Reich's first campaign as the team's head coach in 2023?
Excitement is rapidly building as the Carolina Panthers get ready to stake their claim for success in 2023. The regular season is just a few short days away, which puts an end to all the predictions, rumors, and everything in between that have enveloped Frank Reich's unknown quantity during a mysterious preseason.
Of course, the Panthers are dealing with some distractions heading into Week 1 at the Atlanta Falcons. Some of these are self-inflicted, but Reich has been keen to focus on preparations and let those higher up worry about the business side of things.
There is an opportunity for Carolina to challenge for the NFC South if everything goes well. However, their predicament remains precarious until they prove more consistent with the highest-caliber coaching infrastructure arguably anywhere in the league.
Some are under more pressure than others. On this topic, here are four Panthers on the hot seat entering the 2023 campaign.
Yetur Gross-Matos - Carolina Panthers OLB
Not many expected Yetur Gross-Matos to be on the squad, let alone with the promise of prominent rotational involvement heading into the final year of his deal. But with Marquis Haynes Sr. on injured/reserve and a lack of edge rushing depth, the former second-round selection might get one final chance to prove his worth.
Gross-Matos has the physical attributes normally associated with productive pass-rushers. He hasn't come close to reaching pre-draft expectations as yet and unless significant improvements arrive when called upon, the Carolina Panthers will have no trouble moving on from the Penn State product once his contract comes to an end in 2024.