4 Carolina Panthers playing for their jobs at 2023 training camp

Keith Taylor - Carolina Panthers CB

This one seems like one of the obvious choices for some. To me, this was tough to do because I do like Keith Taylor Jr. as a player.

Most of us remember Taylor's rookie season when he had some stellar performances. This included against the Minnesota Vikings where he was disciplined and competitive against the likes of now-teammate Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, and K.J. Osborn.

We saw occasional flashes throughout last season when the former Washington Huskie played in the interim for the likes of Jaycee Horn and Donte Jackson. Overall, Taylor struggled as the campaign went along. It was almost like he was out of his comfort zone and was out of position far too often for my liking.

A fifth-round selection, Taylor was trampled over by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the decisive Week 17 matchup with a postseason spot on the line. This was the exclamation point to an underwhelming year for another promising defensive back.

Could things change starting this week at Wofford College?

Taylor seems like a better fit in Ejiro Evero's scheme and offers the size, length, and physicality at the line of scrimmage to be a nice Cover 3 press-cornerback. However, he will have Rejzohn Wright and Stanley Thomas-Oliver III fighting for the sixth and final cornerback spot, assuming the team like Eric Rowe more as a nickel.

This represents a steep hill to climb for Taylor. His performance at training camp and during the preseason will matter, big-time.