4 Carolina Panthers on the hot seat entering Week 6 at Dolphins
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers find themselves firmly on the hot seat heading into their daunting game at the Miami Dolphins in Week 6?
If you could pick games to avoid at 0-5, going to the Miami Dolphins would be among them. Unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers, that's exactly what awaits this weekend.
With the team in freefall and going nowhere fast, it comes as no surprise to see Carolina as 13.5-point underdogs for their Week 6 clash. The Dolphins are an offensive juggernaut with elite-level speed everywhere you look, which represents a significant challenge to overcome even for the better organizations around the league.
Nobody is expecting the Panthers to keep this close. But the pressure is mounting not only on specific individuals but also collectively as the frustrations of fans continue to grow with every demoralizing defeat.
On this subject, here are four Panthers on the hot seat entering Week 6 at the Dolphins.
Cade Mays - Carolina Panthers OL
Chandler Zavala is thankfully okay after a scary incident early on against the Detroit Lions. However, the Carolina Panthers will have to move on without the benefit of having their rookie in the lineup - likely for the foreseeable future.
His replacement on Sunday was Cade Mays. The former sixth-round pick looked to have the starting right guard spot sown up during the offseason before a last-minute change of heart from the coaching staff, which stemmed from poor performances and an unfortunate injury.
If the Panthers go through Mays as expected, then he must produce the goods from a starting spot. This would enable the Tennessee product to prove beyond all doubt he has a role to play - even if it's part of the rotation.
Anything less could see the Panthers giving up on the player entirely once veteran Austin Corbett is healthy enough to take his place in the lineup.