C3 Picks The 53-Man Roster
Coming off a playoff run that saw us drop a Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos, the Panthers find their roster brimming with plenty of young talent. So much talent, in fact, that legitimate pros and solid players will find themselves free agents come final roster cuts. Some at the C3 crew decided to try their hand at picking the final 53-man roster, and readers will have a chance to vote on which roster they think is best at the very bottom.
How David Gettleman has assembled his roster thus far.
Grant’s Final Roster Prediction:
Quarterback: (2)
Cam Newton, Derek Anderson
Running Back: (4)
Jonathan Stewart, Cameron Artis-Payne, Fozzy Whittaker, Mike Tolbert
Wide Receiver: (6)
Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn, Philly Brown, Stephen Hill, Damiere Byrd
Tight End: (3)
Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Beau Sandland
Offensive Line: (10)
Mike Remmers, Michael Oher, David Foucault, Daryl Williams, Gino Gradkowski, Chris Scott, Ryan Kalil, Andrew Norwell, Trai Turner, David Yankey or Free Agent Addition (Tackle)
Defensive End: (5)
Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy, Mario Addison, Ryan Delaire, Rakim Cox
Defensive Tackle: (4)
Vernon Butler, Kawann Short, Star Lotulelei, Paul Soliai
Linebacker: (5)
Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson, A.J. Klein, David Mayo
Cornerback: (6)
Bene Benwikere, Robert McClain, James Bradberry, Daryl Worley, Zack Sanchez, Lou Young or Free Agent Addition
Safety: (5)
Tre Boston, Kurt Coleman, Dean Marlowe, Colin Jones, Marcus Ball
Special Teams: (3)
Graham Gano, Mike Scifres, J.J. Jansen
Grant's Thoughts:
The offense could be the best in Panther history with the help of a deep and talented receiving corp. With the lack of a true fourth tight end, I could see Gettleman opting to keep six receivers instead. The offensive tackle depth is a little precarious and I could see the Panthers nab a cut to bolster their depth. With the very young and very inexperienced secondary, I have Carolina loading up on pass rush with five defensive ends. Delaire seems pretty safe, but the wildcard is Rakim Cox who could see his spot taken by the likes of Arthur Miley or Wes Horton. The three rookie corners are set to make the roster along with third-year pro, Bene Benwikere, and spot starter Robert McClain. Beyond those five is Lou Young who has been putting in work and could see time on the outside or nickel. Gettleman could look at the cuts to find another veteran corner though. I have Carolina keeping a large sum of safeties as the depth could be too good to lose. Tre Boston and Kurt Coleman are locks while Dean Marlowe could be a sleeper to watch. In my decision to not keep Joe Webb, special teams ace Colin Jones is a need. Marcus Ball is not a popular pick to make the final roster, but he is one of the most athletic players on the team and can play multiple positions.
Willie’s Final Roster Prediction:
Quarterback: (3)
Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb
Running Back: (5)
Jonathan "Part Time" Stewart, Cameron Artis-Payne, Mike Tolbert, Devon Johnson, Fozzy Whittaker
Wide Receiver: (6)
Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn, Corey Brown, Stephen Hill, Damiere Byrd
Tight End: (3)
Greg Olsen, Beau Sandland, Braxton Deaver
Offensive line: (9)
Michael Oher, Ryan Kalil, Mike Remmers, Trai Turner, Andrew Norwell, Daryl Williams, Gino Gradkowski, Chris Scott, Donald Hawkins
Defensive End: (4)
Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy, Mario Addison, Ryan Delaire
Defensive Tackle: (5)
Kawann Short, Star Lotulelei, Vernon Butler, Paul Soliai, Kyle Love
Linebacker: (5)
Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson, David Mayo, A.J. Klein
Cornerback: (6)
Bene Benwikere, James Bradberry, Daryl Worley, Zack Sanchez, Leonard Johnson, Free Agent Addition
Safety: (4)
Tre Boston, Kurt Coleman, Dean Marlowe, Colin Jones
Special Teams: (3)
Graham Gano, Swayze Waters, J.J. Jansen
Willie's Thoughts:
Derek Anderson is an extremely good backup, and Webb is too valuable by being able to play multiple positions.
Having Ginn, Webb, Byrd and possibly Hill as capable return men makes Fozzy expendable. Keeping six wide receivers is best for the team, and these guys are currently the best on our roster.
I would go with five defensive tackles and keep our strengths strong; we know how good Kyle Love is, and as of now Delaire has shown more than the rest outside of Wes Horton.
The best group of linebackers in the league.
There's no way around it, we need six corners in my opinion. If we only kept five, someone could get hurt and put us at risk.
JP’s Final Roster Prediction:
Quarterback: (2)
Cam Newton, Derek Anderson
Running Back: (5)
Jonathan Stewart, Cameron Artis-Payne, Brandon Wegher, Mike Tolbert, Devon Johnson
Wide Receiver: (5)
Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn, Philly Brown, Stephen Hill
Tight End: (3)
Greg Olsen, Beau Sandland, Marcus Lucas
Offensive Line: (9)
Michael Oher, Trai Turner, Ryan Kalil, Andrew Norwell, Daryl Williams, Mike Remmers, David Yankee, Gino Gradkowski, Free Agent Addition (Tackle)
Defensive End: (5)
Kony Ealy, Charles (Little Money) Johnson, Mario Addison, Wes Horton, Ryan Delaire
Defensive Tackle: (5)
Kawann Short, Star Lotulelei, Vernon Butler, Paul Soliai, Kevin Love
Linebacker: (6)
Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson, Jeremy Cash, A.J. Klein, Ben Jacobs
Cornerback: (6)
James Bradberry, Daryl Worley, Zack Sanchez, Bene Benwikere, Leonard Johnson, Lou Young
Safety: (4)
Kurt Coleman, Tre Boston, Marcus Ball, Colin Jones
Special Teams: (3)
Graham Gano, Mike Scifres, J.J. Jansen
JP's Thoughts:
Joe Webb is gone in favor of Ryan Delaire; pass rush will be a focus this year to help out a young secondary and the casualty of a special teams ace is the result.
Jeremy Cash makes the team because he looks to become a special teams ace, he can also work well as a linebacker versus smaller quicker running backs. If need be, we all know he can step in at strong safety.
I chose to keep five defensive tackles again because of pass rush, and we all know how much we rotate in that area.
Devon Johnson will replace Mike Tolbert, not sure if its this year or next, but we give him the Wegher approach. This kid is so good!
I gave Lucas the nod at the third tight end spot. He is big, fast, and willing to do heavy blocking; blocking will be the focus this year after the Super Bowl. Look for him to be a tool all around, and lay some blocks.
The Professor’s Final Roster Prediction:
Quarterback: (3)
Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb
Running Back: (4)
Jonathan Stewart, Cameron Artis-Payne, Brandon Wegher, Mike Tolbert
Wide Receiver: (6)
Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Stephen Hill, Ted Ginn Jr, Philly Brown, Damiere Byrd
Tight End: (4)
Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Beau Sandland, Scott Simonson
Offensive Line: (9)
Ryan Kalil, Andrew Norwell, Trai Turner, Mike Remmers, Michael Oher, Daryl Williams, Chris Scott, Matt Masifilo, David Yankey
Defensive End: (5)
Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy, Mario Addison, Ryan Delaire, Rakim Cox
Defensive Tackle: (4)
Star Lotulelei, Kawann Short, Vernon Butler, Paul Soliai
Linebacker: (5)
Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson, A.J. Klein, David Mayo
Cornerback: (7)
Bene Benwikere, Robert McClain, James Bradberry, Teddy Williams, Daryl Worley, Zack Sanchez, Leonard Johnson
Safety: (3)
Tre Boston, Kurt Coleman, Colin Jones
Special Teams: (3)
Graham Gano, Swayze Waters, J.J. Jansen
The Professor's Thoughts:
There's always a hard cut to be made, and this year, I think it comes at wide receiver and tight end. Marcus Lucas was a hard cut, one I don't think will be made until the final moment. Brenton Bersin is a hometown hero and has proven reliable when he hasn't been asked to do more than his skillset is allowed. So where does the sacrifice come to run with six receivers, something Gettleman hasn't done since he's been in Carolina? I trimmed an offensive lineman. Good linemen are hard to come, and the hardest to come by mid-season, but I think Gettleman feels good enough about this group. about this group. He's got solid starters across the board and Daryl Williams as a solid back-up at the very worst. I put six receivers on this roster, but I'm not convinced Carolina doesn't go five. I want Damiere Byrd to make this team, so it may be a soft-spot in my lineup. If Byrd can show he is a legitimate deep threat, he may find a way to survive the bubble. If it comes down to five guys, it's either Byrd or Philly who find themselves the odd man out.
Defensive tackle is another position to watch carefully. I don't have Kyle Love making this group because there is a solid rotation of young talent that can both disrupt the pass-rush and swallow up the run. Gettleman loves the hog-mollies, but I think there are still some big enough questions that he keeps a defensive end rather than a tackle when it's all said and done.
Two other veterans I'll be watching closely are Mike Tolbert and Joe Webb. Both of these guys love playing in Carolina. Both can do and have done for this team. At some point, the familiarity and loyalty has to wear off. Is this the year Carolina cuts a vet who we hadn't seen as a camp casualty?
Please vote on which roster you think is the best below
By: Grant Hughes, JP Tremarzo, Willie Perry, Anthony Dunn
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