North Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — The fear of the unknown can't drive decisions. That's the mantra the Panthers and Dave Canales are taking with the roster, position battles, and their approach to Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, particularly with the outside linebacker unit.

"We can't be afraid to expose them to (games) and we got to live with some of the lumps," Canales said on Wednesday.

This strategy may be driven by necessity as much as belief. The Panthers currently have four outside linebackers on their active roster, with only Jadeveon Clowney having recorded a sack in a regular-season game. The club released former Jaguars first-round pick K'Lavon Chaisson on Tuesday. Canales explained that while Chaisson "had a really good role that he was starting to develop for himself in terms of special teams," they were looking for "a dynamic game changer as far as the pass rush."

The release left Eku Leota, DJ Johnson, and waiver claim rookie Jamie Sheriff to compete for reps opposite Clowney. Canales believes it's worth seeing them all play despite any initial struggles.

"Play them, play them early and see what we got there," Canales said. "That's been something that's kind of ingrained in my DNA... Let's get information about the players... They will learn football; we will be all better for it when we get into Week 6 or 7."

Currently, Johnson is listed first on the depth chart alongside Clowney, but Canales emphasizes that all three young players will get reps.

"We're looking for somebody to step up and take that job," Canales stated.

In another development, Messiah Swinson joined the team as its newest tight end following a whirlwind move from Green Bay's practice squad. Swinson described his quick decision after his agent called him with an opportunity at Carolina: "It's a really good opportunity for me... They like the tape you put out there during preseason."

With tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas not participating in practice due to injuries, Swinson could be crucial for Sunday's game. He arrived in Charlotte late Tuesday night and participated in team activities by noon Wednesday.

At 6-8 and 260 pounds, Swinson prides himself on his blocking abilities: "I just try to take pride in that... My run blocking— I didn't have any catches or anything in preseason... I feel like that's maybe what they needed in the room right now."

The Panthers also focused on preparing for Taysom Hill of the Saints. Defensive lineman Shy Tuttle described Hill as a versatile threat: "He's a Swiss Army (knife)... can do a little bit of everything." Practice squad linebacker Kenny Dyson simulated Hill during preparations.

When asked about last season's poor performance (2-15), Canales stressed focusing on current progress: "That's an old conversation... We've been talking about today." Quarterback Bryce Young echoed this sentiment: "We’ve done the learning part… after every practice… then we got to turn the page."

On Wednesday, Young was named one of four captains for 2024 along with Derrick Brown, Shaq Thompson, and Sam Franklin Jr., with a fifth rotating captain each week. Canales expressed satisfaction with these choices: "They really exemplify what we're looking for from our team."

For Franklin, being named captain was especially meaningful: "It was really special... This is going to be a special opportunity for me." Despite suffering a broken foot earlier this year, Franklin's leadership qualities earned him this honor according to Canales.

Young’s second year as captain speaks volumes about his leadership qualities: “It just talks to his consistency… You just got to be consistent and be the same guy.”