Carolina Panthers: Updates 5/11
The Carolina Panthers have been attending to small matters in the run up to Rookie Training Camp.
The Carolina Panthers have been relatively quiet since the NFL Draft and that’s okay. There have been no questioning why certain people fell to them or whether their quarterback was going to show up and play football or not. Instead the Panthers have been dabbling in the little things.
The first of those little things was a complaint of general manager Dave Gettleman’s about the first game the Panthers play this season. Gettleman’s complaint about the game was it was scheduled so soon after final cuts that it prevented the Panthers from having a practice squad to help prepare for that game against the Denver Broncos.
Gettleman’s concern could be written off by mentioning that the Broncos would have the same problem, but a longer view would note the rest of the league would not. Getting practice squad players in the system can be important if injuries occur down the line. Every other NFL team would have some time banked with those players already.
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The first week is really the best time to play Denver. The last game is still fresh. The weather won’t include snow. Denver will be breaking in rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch. These are still plusses despite the lack of a practice squad.
Gettleman has been spending his time figuring out Kawann Short’s extension. Even before Josh Norman was let go, this was one of the big things that Gettleman had to accomplish this off season. Short’s eleven sacks will put his value into the top paid players at his position. An interesting thing to look for will be whether it is more than the franchise tag offered to Norman.
Speaking of money, the Panthers went pretty cheap on their draft day rookie class. According to reports from David Newton of ESPN, the Panthers are due to have the smallest cap hit of any rookie draft class in the NFL this year. Hopefully a starting cornerback will emerge out of that value.
Next: Panthers Sign Jeremy Cash
The Panthers will have a rookie camp on Friday for their next scheduled event. Assuming Coach Ron Rivera comes back from the Kentucky Derby in time of course.