7 Carolina Panthers players who must generate early buzz at 2024 camp
By Dean Jones
Ihmir Smith-Marsette - Carolina Panthers WR
The Carolina Panthers moved swiftly to strengthen their wide receiving corps this offseason. This is great news for quarterback Bryce Young as he looks to silence some increasing doubters next season. It's also raised competition for places when camp commences.
Dave Canales will have a good idea of what the wideout structure could be. The top four spots look set, so others must make their presence felt when targets come their way to make the coaching staff sit up and take notice.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette got a deserved extension from the Panthers this offseason. He caught the eye when finally given opportunities on the offensive rotation down the stretch. His versatility and elusiveness after the catch could be an asset within Canales' expansive system, but making a strong start over camp is essential to cement his place on the 53-man roster.
Smith-Marsette is also a dynamic special teams presence. With the new NFL kickoff rules coming into effect, this will be an important piece of the puzzle if he shows enough promise in the coming weeks.
It would be surprising to see Smith-Marsette on the outside looking in. However, complacency must not become an issue for someone who can have a surprising role to play in 2024.
D.J. Johnson - Carolina Panthers OLB
D.J. Johnson is entering a crossroads campaign after one season. He was drafted too high by the Panthers, who traded up to No. 80 overall in 2023 to secure his services. This reeked of desperation - something that became synonymous with previous general manager Scott Fitterer's time at the helm.
Johnson struggled to make an impact in Year 1 of his professional career. That would be fine if this was a young development project, but the former Oregon star will be 26 years old during the 2024 campaign. Time is of the essence in pursuit of carving out a decent NFL career for himself.
The Panthers aren't blessed with much - if any - legitimate edge-rushing depth behind their two projected starters, Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum. Opportunity knocks for someone who can thrive over camp. Further reinforcements couldn't be completely dismissed, but Ejiro Evero might be forced to make do with what he has given Carolina's salary-cap predicament.
Demonstrating improvements and improving production over the early exchanges of camp will be a big confidence boost for Johnson. Whether the converted tight end is capable of reaching these feats remains to be seen.