Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as the team begins preparations for their final preseason contest versus the Detroit Lions?
The Carolina Panthers are always looking for ways to improve their roster. This brought about yet more drama since their preseason loss at the New York Giants and came with a shocking personnel switch on Monday that became a fierce topic of discussion among the fanbase.
Of course, this brought its fair share of news and rumors. Among the top stories causing debate include Bryce Young playing in the preseason finale, confidence in Ikem Ekwonu, Matt Corral's journey, and explaining the shocking release of Marquan McCall.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers have confidence in Ikem Ekwonu
It hasn't been the most profitable preseason for Ikem Ekwonu in terms of performance levels. The franchise left tackle has looked a little uncomfortable so far and seems to be in his own head a little bit - something that the Carolina Panthers won't want to continue into the regular season.
When discussing Ekwonu's lack of production during warmups, head coach Frank Reich stated via CBS Sports that confidence remains high surrounding the former first-round selection out of North Carolina State. Especially considering he'll be tasked with protecting Bryce Young's blindside for the next decade if everything goes according to plan.
"A lot of confidence in Ickey. I have no concerns about him playing winning football and being one of the true anchors to our offensive line. The year he had last year and the training camp that he's had -- I think not only is he gonna be a really good player for us, I think he's gonna be a good leader. We have had a couple miscues he's been involved in, but those things will get worked out."Frank Reich via CBS Sports
Ekwonu performed well enough last season to suggest that this is nothing more than a blip. It's also worth remembering that we are working on an extremely small sample size compared to how much time he'll be on the field when competitive action begins.
Carolina Panthers explain Marquan McCall decision
Things looked pretty positive for Marquan McCall earlier this off-season. Many had the former Kentucky college star slated to start at the nose tackle position within Ejiro Evero's 3-4 base defensive system, but the Carolina Panthers dropped a mini-bombshell on Monday by announcing his release to make way for cornerback Troy Hill.
This came as a shock to many and leaves the Panthers short of a genuine nose unless they are fully confident in someone like Taylor Stallworth or Raequan Williams. When outlining his decision, head coach Frank Reich stated via Sports Illustrated that it came down to scheme fit more than anything else.
"These are always tough decisions. We appreciate his contribution. Honestly, we're doing it now because we think he's going to be on a roster somewhere it just comes down to two things. It comes down to a fit for us and what we're trying to do and then we've had a couple guys at that position who have really looked good. I think for us in our scheme, there's more nuances to it than the traditional thing, so I'll just leave it at that."Frank Reich via Sports Illustrated
Reich feels like McCall will find his way onto another NFL team quickly. However, what's occurred this offseason coupled with a complete 180 from those in power regarding the lineman's status indicates something hasn't been disclosed.
That's something for fans to debate and will remain in-house, one suspects. It'll be interesting to see what comes next for McCall and the Panthers, who now have gargantuan shoes to fill on their defensive front.
Carolina Panthers QB Matt Corral's comfort
It's been great to see Matt Corral back on an NFL field in recent weeks. Although performances have been inconsistent over the opening two preseason outings, nobody expected the quarterback to be the second coming of Tom Brady given his status and how much time he missed as a rookie.
Whether Corral makes the team remains among the hottest remaining unknown topics. Releasing him would be a surprise to many, but it's something that cannot be dismissed after the Carolina Panthers took Bryce Young at No. 1 overall and signed veteran Andy Dalton in free agency.
Regardless of how things unfold for Corral, he's in a much stronger position. When speaking about this exact topic, the former third-round selection put this down to increased comfort and working with legitimate coaches that have seen it all via the team's website.
"Looking at it from a perspective of where I was a year ago to where I'm at now, it's night and day. I mean, from my comfort level to the way I'm calling the plays to the way I'm executing the plays, from top to bottom. I will say that the coaches that have played the game, it helps a lot. They understand, they know what we're going through, they know what we feel like. They know exactly when we make a mistake; they got three things off the top of their head of why we made that. It's not, we didn't just MA (missed assignment) for no reason, like they know they know where we're coming from and know that we just had these 30 plays installed. And there's a lot going through our mind, and our mind's racing. So it helps a lot when a coach has been in that position, and they know how to navigate through that because, again, they've been through it."Matt Corral via Panthers.com
Corral will likely get extended reps once again in Carolina's final warmup contest against the Detroit Lions at Bank of America Stadium. How the Ole Miss product performs could be the difference between making it or not.
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's status
Considering the lack of production from the Carolina Panthers offensive line throughout preseason so far, one could forgive Frank Reich and his staff for shutting down quarterback Bryce Young until Week 1 at the Atlanta Falcons arrives. While there is a need to get reps into the rookie, he's accumulated enough in the way of football experience to suggest no harm would come from sitting out this weekend.
Although the scenario seems logical, it doesn't seem like something Reich is going to move forward with based on his comments via Augusta Stone from the team's website. The head coach said his prized possession will play, but how much remains unclear at this juncture.
"Sometimes a lot of teams won't play their starters in the last preseason game. We're going to play Bryce and play our offensive starters. (We) still want to get more reps; I think we had about 20 last week or something like that. It's kind of TBD again. It could be about the same, could be a little less, could be a little bit more. (We would) like to get a little rhythm going, accomplish certain things. So we'll play it by ear."Frank Reich via Panthers.com
Young's shown enough in a relatively small sample size to suggest he's the real deal. The former Alabama star is only going to get better when the offensive scheme concepts open up significantly, so why the Panthers are planning to put him in harm's way is anyone's guess.
That said, this coaching staff knows what it's doing. So there should be a high level of trust in their decision-making process.