The Carolina Panthers are one of only two teams that have already played a preseason game. The Panthers took down the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game last Thursday.
We saw several players stake their claims for a roster spot in that contest, and different players will likely do so in the second preseason contest. The Panthers released their first depth chart right before that game, and a few players were lower than expected.
As a result, today, we're going to identify three players who could find themselves higher on the depth chart before Week 1 rolls around.
TE Ja'Tavion Sanders
© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Ja'Tavion Sanders has seen his stock fall heavily this offseason. It was originally thought that Sanders would be a breakout candidate, but the tight end found himself as the third tight end on the depth chart last week.
Sanders played in the Hall of Fame Game, while Mitchell Evans and Tommy Tremble didn't. This was probably not a great sign for Sanders, but the positive thing is that Sanders will have more chances to prove himself. If the tight end makes some nice plays in the second preseason game, he could easily vault himself back to the top of the depth chart.
LB Claudin Cherelus
Unlike Sanders, linebacker Claudin Cherelus did not have much hype surrounding him this offseason. It was widely expected that Trevin Wallace would secure the starting spot next to Devin Lloyd, but Cherelus is apparently changing that line of thinking.
Cherelus entered the summer as a depth linebacker, but now he's challenging for the starting role. If the linebacker has some solid performances over the next couple of weeks, he could find himself at the top of the linebacker depth chart after once being an afterthought.
Cherelus has a big opportunity in front of him. The hope is that the linebacker wins the job, as opposed to Wallace just losing it.
CB Will Lee III
The Panthers drafted cornerback Will Lee III in the fourth round this year. Lee was a productive player in college, but the thinking was that he would need a year of development before playing a large role.
Well, Lee played so well this summer that star cornerback Jaycee Horn was given some nickel snaps. The Panthers did this so they could experiment with Horn, Mike Jackson, and Lee on the field at the same time. Lee was listed as a third-string corner on last week's depth chart, but it would be surprising if he were still in that spot when Week 1 rolled around.
