Thursday marked the last day for the Carolina Panthers in Spartanburg, S.C. this summer. They completed their second joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens, putting an end to their time at Wofford College. So what do the Panthers have to look forward to this season? Here are some observations from the final training camp practice from the media.
1. Some starters will play Saturday – Carolina’s head coach Matt Rhule discussed the probability of his starters playing against the Ravens on Saturday.
“I gotta check the injury reports. But we’ll play several starters, a very small amount Saturday,” Rhule told reporters after practice. “In terms of Sam [Darnold], we’re leaning towards playing him. We’d like to play him. Just making sure we have the full compliment of guys around him to help him.”
Rhule was not pleased with the performance of Darnold’s playmakers on Wednesday, stating there was a lack of effort. However, there was a significant upgrade in Thursday’s intensity level at practice. He was very cautious with wide receivers Robby Anderson (hamstring) and DJ Moore (back), so Darnold will most likely, not have the top offensive players at his disposal for the time he is on the field on Saturday.
2. RT/LT Taylor Moton – Cameron Erving is expected to start the season at left tackle for the Panthers, maybe. The seventh-year veteran offensive lineman, who has previously had problems protecting his quarterbacks, continued to have issues Thursday.
Erving was on the sideline giving away large amounts of reps at right tackle Taylor Moton’s spot. Moton has received a significant amount of work at left tackle throughout the summer.
Once again, Erving is the projected starter and Rhule stated that he has played well up to this point. Between his health concerns and his up and down play over his career, how long will that last? There is a possibility that Moton, the No. 2 option at left tackle, will start some games at that position this season.
3. DT Daviyon Nixon shows his athleticism – It is a sight to behold when a defensive tackle comes up with a pick. It is even more unheard of when they come up with two. Daviyon Nixon, 6-foot-3, 313 pounds, astounded the spectators with his two interceptions Thursday. One was a snatch off a deflection by linebacker Frankie Luvu and he got the other one while he was in coverage. Linebacker Shaq Thompson, cornerback Donte Jackson and safety Kenny Robinson got in on the party with interceptions of their own.
Nixon was already thought of as athletic player coming out of the University of Iowa this spring, testing out at an 8.38 RAS (Relative Athletic Score). That is an above average score. The Panthers drafted a versatile defensive tackle in Nixon in the later rounds of the draft.
