Panthers Mailbag: What will Carolina do at right guard? Can Corral rebound in preseason?

Following a blowout loss to the New York Jets in the Panthers’ preseason opener, Carolina fans have some questions and concerns heading into the remainder of the exhibition slate.

With just two days until Friday’s second preseason matchup against the New York Giants, the Panthers mailbag seeks to answer the biggest questions on the minds of the fans, especially as the cut-down deadline inches closer by the day.

Below are some standout Panthers questions, received from social media, this week:

Reid asks: How likely would you say it is that the Week 1 starting right guard didn’t play against the Jets, whether it’s Nash Jensen, Chandler Zavala or a player signed (or) picked up after cuts?

Mike Kaye: As one can imagine, after the loss to the Jets, we received roughly a dozen questions about the right guard position, which ranged from singling out Michael Jordan (not the NBA legend) and his poor performance to inquiries about the offensive line depth chart. This question essentially serves as accumulation of those questions, so let’s get into it.

Last weekend, the Panthers rotated Cade Mays, Justin McCray and Jordan at right guard with the first-team offense. The results left a lot to be desired — to be polite.

Mays had taken the majority of the right guard reps in camp at Wofford College, while McCray (a longtime protégé of offensive line coach James Campen) spent most of his camp time as a backup center, and Jordan worked multiple backup spots. The game against the Jets felt like an opportunity to see if McCray or Jordan could catch up to Mays, who had mostly been solid prior to the Jets joint practice where he predictably struggled against the Jets’ interior line.

Zavala and Jensen were both held out of the Jets game. Zavala spent most of the summer camp at Wofford on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, while Jensen missed the Jets joint practice and game with an undisclosed injury. Both men returned to the practice field this week and rotated with Mays and McCray at right guard. On Monday, head coach Frank Reich said the team was waiting for both players to return before making a final decision on the right guard spot.

Although it seems wild to wait for a fourth-round pick and an undrafted rookie to decide on a starting position midway through summer, the results of the other night lent some logic to the matter. Zavala fits in well from a body-type standpoint, though he has played mostly left guard. Jensen, who has rotated around the line all summer, has a nastiness to him that’s been hard to ignore, and he’s probably put himself in the best position to earn a roster spot out of all the undrafted rookies on offense, if not the entire team.

Ultimately, I think the competition will come down to one of the younger guys. Mays is probably the only lineman from the other night who has a clear shot at the job, though his versatility might make him a better fit as the team’s sixth man, especially with the Panthers choosing not to push left guard Brady Christensen with competition. Zavala was drafted to be an eventual starter, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him quickly ascend up the depth chart. While Jensen has played well, it’s very hard to see Campen supplanting Mays or Zavala (the assistant was thrilled with that pick) — or even McCray — in favor an undrafted rookie.

Regarding the outside options, the choices are on a very slim list. Dalton Risner, the former second-round pick of the Denver Broncos, remains unsigned for whatever reason. He played left guard in Denver, and had an up-and-down fourth season with his former squad. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, linebackers coach Peter Hansen and senior defensive assistant Dom Capers worked in Denver with Risner last season. If that trio felt like Risner was a good fit for the team, he probably would have been signed already, especially given the urgency of the competition on the line.

Gabe Jackson, Justin Pugh and Andrew Norwell are the other “name” options, but all three of those guys are on wrong side of 30. The team could also wait for the waiver wire following cut-down day, but that would be a pretty quick turnaround for a player who wasn’t deemed worthy of a roster spot elsewhere.

Predictably, Austin Corbett’s ACL recovery timeline has put the Panthers in a bind. Corbett was arguably the team’s best offensive lineman last season and his projected absence — whether it’s just for Week 1 or much longer — has created a glaring weakness in the trenches.

While Mays impressed against the Saints last year during fill-in duty in Week 18, his versatility is useful as he can play all five positions. With Corbett out, and the line having some question marks, it might make sense to have Mays be the central backup on the line. That outlook would then open up a major opportunity for Zavala, who could win the right guard job.

In summation, Zavala and Mays — depending on his long-term injury status — should really be the two guys to choose from here. So, a 50-50 shot seems like a fair answer to the question.

Two Growls One Roar on Twitters: Do you think (Derek) Wright has a real chance to beat out Shi (Smith)? 2. Do you think Matt (Corral)’s performance will make or break him? Do you think he could perform well enough to make the roster, or do you think we might be thinking about two QBs?

MK: A two-part question!

Let’s start with question one. Wright had a nice performance during the preseason opener, catching all three of his targets for 35 receiving yards. Unfortunately, Wright suffered a knee injury on the penultimate offensive series against the Jets. According to Reich, Wright will be out for “a minute.” Time lost is tough on bubble players, and despite how well Wright has played all offseason, it’s hard to imagine him earning a roster spot if he misses the remainder of the preseason.

Regarding Smith, I wouldn’t run wild with the idea that he is the runaway favorite for the No. 6 job. The Panthers went out of their way to bring in a handful of players who can play the Z and slot spots for a reason. The squad is also starting running back Raheem Blackshear at punt and kick returner. Damiere Byrd was brought in to upgrade the returner situation, and had he not suffered what Reich called a “significant hamstring injury,” the sixth job would be his to claim.

There also stands a chance that the Panthers only keep five receivers given their depth situations on the offensive line and defense. The numbers game can be cruel. There are also trade and waiver-wire options that could lead to Smith and/or Wright being supplanted for the final job. Smith and Wright will need to force the Panthers’ hand over the next two weeks. Smith has the upper-hand due to his health, but neither player should be comfortable at this point.

In regards to Corral, the second-year quarterback played like a player who hadn’t seen live reps in 358 days. He was erratic in the pocket and didn’t play well, even when given a (rare) clean pocket. The next two weeks will be big for Corral, as he tries to force the Panthers to keep three quarterbacks.

The new QB3 rule enables teams to dress three quarterbacks — in case of an emergency — without impacting the rest of their game-day depth chart. If the first two quarterbacks are injured in the same game, the third quarterback will be allowed to take the field. That third quarterback must be on the 53-man roster to dress for the game. That means that teams will need to stash a third quarterback on their main roster, as the emergency option can’t be used on a practice-squad promotion.

With the new rule in place, Corral has an advantage. He has been in the system all summer, and while he didn’t play well against the Jets, the team has invested time and a third-round pick in him. But the Panthers need talent, and there is a precedent for cutting mid-round quarterbacks after a year following a regime change.

Kellen Mond, a 2021 third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, was waived at the cut-down deadline last year. The Vikings made the switch from Mike Zimmer to Kevin O’Connell, and Mond failed to establish himself in the new offense. He was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns, where he might be in trouble (again) in his third NFL training camp. Similarly, Ian Book, a 2021 fourth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints, was cut after one season following the switch from Sean Payton to Dennis Allen. Book was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Eagles, and roughly one year later, he’s in trouble again in a QB3 competition.

Corral needs to show that he’s worthy of being stashed on the roster. He is cost-controlled on a rookie contract, which makes his retention appealing. It’s on him to rebound against the Giants and the Lions in the coming weeks.

Eric Goodman asks: Knowing (GM Scott Fitterer) and how he conducts business during the cut-down day, he normally makes a couple trades. What positions would we target during that time, be it trade or cut down?

MK: The Panthers should try to hang onto their future draft picks after making the deal to trade up to the No. 1 overall selection for Bryce Young. That said, a swap of roster bubble players — especially at a position of need — would be wise.

The Panthers have some roster-worthy talent that will be cut because of the numbers game. It’d be smart to shop those players ahead of the cut-down deadline (Aug. 29) to upgrade the depth at a shallow position.

Running back feels like a sneaky need for depth. Miles Sanders, Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear form a solid trio, but Sanders is dealing with a groin injury. The team is also lacking a proven power back, and a player of that skill set could appeal to the Panthers on the player-swap market.

Wide receiver would be interesting if the Panthers want to upgrade their slot and returner depth charts. The team signed Byrd and Marquez Stevenson to accomplish that feat this offseason, but both suffered injuries this summer. Will Shi Smith do enough to force them away from the phone?

Guard would probably be a tough task on the trade market, as offensive line depth is a paramount problem in the NFL. The Panthers might not be able to swap out a receiver or tight end for a lineman because of the shortage of depth around the league.

At cornerback, the Panthers could try to upgrade the fourth spot by trading with a team that has strong secondary depth. If that team needs a safety (Eric Rowe) or 4-3 pass rusher (Yetur Gross-Matos), Carolina could upgrade an important position with a player that might not fit into the numbers game elsewhere.

Fitterer will work the phones for sure. It’s just a matter of what he’s willing to part with and what the team feels it really needs. The Panthers have a high enough waiver-wire positioning (No. 9) that they don’t need to force the issue, barring a major urgency to fill a hole.