Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines with just one day remaining until the NFL regular season in 2023 gets underway?
The Carolina Panthers get back down to business today as preparations continue for their Week 1 opener at the Atlanta Falcons. One big distraction continues to overshadow everything else, so it'll be interesting to see if any developments arise later this afternoon regarding the matter that we'll discuss shortly.
That said, the stories causing conversation include the latest developments surrounding Brian Burns, Chandler Zavala's boost, Carolina's potentially fatal flaw heading into the 2023 season, and why the Panthers decided Matt Corral was surplus to requirements.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers OL Chandler Zavala's boost
There was a lot to unpack when the Carolina Panthers released their unofficial depth chart on Tuesday. One of the more eye-catching storylines centered on offensive lineman Chandler Zavala, who was slotted as the starting right guard leading into a crucial Week 1 game at the Atlanta Falcons.
This is in keeping with Zavala's presence on the starting five over the final two weeks of the preseason. It represents a significant achievement from the rookie, who missed most of camp through injury and had to make up for some lost time quickly.
Zavala will get a baptism of fire versus Grady Jarrett on Sunday. The veteran defensive tackle knows full well that there will be some extra nerves within the rookie out of North Carolina State, so one would expect him to line up over him constantly in pursuit of wreaking havoc.
Why the Carolina Panthers released Matt Corral
The Carolina Panthers are moving forward with Bryce Young and Andy Dalton as their quarterback duo heading into the campaign. It appears as if Matt Corral was always the odd man out after being dealt such a bad hand.
Corral was third-string throughout camp and although he initially made the 53-man roster, was finally put out of his misery to make way for a waiver claim. It wasn't all bad for the Ole Miss product, who was claimed by the New England Patriots and looks set to back up Mac Jones in 2023.
When discussing Corral's fate, Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt stated that there is still some potential within the signal-caller in the right fit. Even if that wasn't ever going to be in Carolina through no real fault of his own.
"More than anything, [Matt] Corral was the victim of some bad timing. First, the injury last year at New England, which ended his rookie year, and then inheriting a new coach and a new quarterback his second year. There was a rule in place to allow teams to keep a third quarterback as a free active spot this season, but that quarterback has to be on the 53, and only about a third of the league took advantage of it. So the Panthers have a lot of company in keeping two. I could be mistaken, but I think he's got some degree of potential in the right kind of system. He gets the ball out quickly. He can run around and make things happen. Those are valuable traits. He was dealt a bad hand but came in here every day with a smile and worked."Darin Gantt, Panthers.com
Everyone gets a fresh start, here. The Panthers have someone with genuine franchise-changing capabilities under center and Corral gets the chance to learn from two experienced coaches behind a quarterback that finds himself firmly on the hot seat.
Carolina Panthers OLB Brian Burns' situation
If anyone was expecting the Carolina Panthers and Brian Burns to reach an agreement regarding a new deal on Tuesday, they were out of luck. The star edge rusher and the organization remain at loggerheads regarding his bumper extension, which has led to speculation of a potential holdout in Week 1 at the Atlanta Falcons.
Teammates are rallying behind Burns and the large majority of fans want him to get paid handsomely. But the NFL is a business above all else and general manager Scott Fitterer clearly feels like slow-playing this saga until Nick Bosa's deal resets the market is the best course of action.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated doesn't expect Burns to sit out in Week 1 given that he remains around the team. The respected insider added that the former first-rounder has plenty of leverage and the Panthers' actions are also being monitored closely by others within the locker room looking for paydays of their own soon.
"There’s the matter of [Brian] Burns’s leverage, which comes down to his own knowledge of what Carolina turned down for him on the trade market last October. It’s tough for the Panthers to minimize Burns’s value to them based on what they turned down to keep him, and that’s a leverage point for the star pass rusher. There’s the fact that Carolina has a new coaching staff, and investment from the locker room is important as a result of that. And along those lines, other guys are watching how the team handles Burns. Do I think Burns will miss Sunday’s opener? No. But skipping practice does give everyone a look at how things look without him in Ejiro Evero’s new defense, and that can, for sure, have an effect on things. Now, the good news is the Panthers would like to get something done, and Burns had a great camp, and an artificial deadline is looming (Week 1). Stay tuned."Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated
Will Kunkel of FOX Houston stated on Tuesday that no progress had been made between Burns and the Panthers. We wait with bated breath to see what comes next.
Carolina Panthers' fatal flaw
There remains hope that the Carolina Panthers can mount an NFC South championship challenge in 2023. An eventful offseason of vast changes coupled with the arrival of Bryce Young at No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft could be exactly what this team needs to pick itself up off the canvas and back to relevancy under Frank Reich this season.
Young has all the intangibles needed to thrive, but he cannot do it alone. His skill position players must create separation consistently, the running game must set the tone and Carolina's offensive line must keep the slender signal-caller upright.
After an indifferent offseason from the protection and the fact veteran right guard Austin Corbett will miss the first four games at least on injured/reserve, it didn't come as a shock to see Anthony Rizzuti from USA Today Sports name offensive line regression as the Panthers' potentially fatal flaw in 2023.
"When you hand over the keys to a 5-foot-9, 205-pound rookie quarterback—albeit a pretty special 5-foot-9, 205-pound quarterback in Bryce Young —you need to have a stable offensive line. And you can’t blame the Panthers for believing they have one. Their group of hog mollies was relatively impressive last season, and really kicked into another gear with the insertion of center Bradley Bozeman. The summer, however, has raised a few questions about the unit. Not only will they be without right guard Austin Corbett for at least the first quarter of the season, but left tackle Ikem Ekwonu didn’t look quite like the Ikem Ekwonu we saw during much of his encouraging rookie campaign. Growing pains will pop up for Bryce Young, regardless of how pro-ready he’s been. But Carolina can’t afford to see the new face of their franchise experience actual pains if his protection doesn’t hold up."Anthony Rizzuti, USA Today Sports
It was a small sample size from the group in the preseason. But they need to step up and shine right out of the gate against Grady Jarrett, Calais Campbell, and David Onyemata in Week 1.