Panthers at Bears
Game Info
Kickoff: Thursday, August 8th, 2019 8:00 PM est
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Betting Odds: CHI -3 via Oddsshark
Watch On: WSOC, WTVD, WFLD
Carolina Panthers
Offensive Line Shakeup
The Panthers made a point of bolstering their offensive line in the offseason. They brought in stud center Matt Paradis from the Broncos and drafted Greg Little in the second round of this year’s draft. The Panthers will be getting back lineman Daryl Williams after missing all but one game last year. Pro football focus gives the Panthers a top ten outlook for the group in 2019. Bringing back the right side of their line in Trai Turner at guard and Taylor Moton at tackle is a plus, who both got plus marks in pass blocking last year. The biggest question for the unit is Little, if he is NFL ready to protect Cam Newton’s blindside, then the Panthers can move Williams to left guard. If Little isn’t ready, Williams will slot in at tackle and veteran Greg Van Roten would probably be the starting guard. Keep an eye on Greg Little at left tackle this preseason because his development will be key for the left side of this offensive line.
Wide Receiver Depth
Carolina has two exciting young Receivers in Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore that will be their top two guys. The question is who will be slotting in behind those two guys. The Panthers have a bevy of veterans in Chris Hogan, Jarius Wright, Torrey Smith, Aldrick Robinson, and Rashard Ross (from the AAF) that are most likely to grab a couple of those spots. It will be interesting to see if any of their young guys can latch on and beat out the veterans. They have second-year receiver Andre Levrone, seventh-round rookie Terry Godwin trying to win one of the final roster spots. This preseason, you should take a look at who is getting run with the starting offense at the number three and if either of the young guys can stand out compared to the veterans.
Cam Newton’s Cannon
Last year, Newton suffered a throwing shoulder injury and was shut down towards the end of the season. He has said that he shouldn’t have played through that injury last season. He has reportedly been making all the throws this camp but has taken multiple practices off as precautions. It should be interesting to watch this preseason if there are any lingering effects on the shoulder injury and if there looks to be enough arm strength to make all the necessary throws.
Chicago Bears
Kicker Competition
It is well known how the Bears season ended last season: with kicker Cody Parkey missing a game-winning 43-yard field goal on a kick that was tipped slightly. The Bears have two kickers in camp and they will probably be competing throughout the preseason. Elliott Fry and Eddie Pineiro are the two kickers to watch. Fry is a rookie to the NFL, although he did spend time in the now-disbanded AAF. Pineiro is in his second season and the Bears acquired him from the Raiders in the offseason. Let’s see who can win this battle as the winner will be kicking for one of the leagues better offenses.
Running Back Roles
The Bears don’t have many holes on their roster so playing time is more of what we are interested in. They have three running backs that are battling for playing time. Starter and early down grinder Jordan Howard is gone, so too are the 250 carries he logged last year. Passing game specialist Tarik Cohen is still here and will without a doubt be involved on third-down. It remains to be seen if he can carve out a larger role, as the Bears have been hesitant to give him a large rushing workload (87 and 99 carries the last two years). The Bears drafted two rookie backs this year. There is third-round pick David Montgomery and seventh-round pick Kerrith Whyte Jr. Montgomery showed poor workout metrics according to his player profile. Montgomery and veteran Mike Davis are expected to compete for early-down carries and take over that Jordan Howard role. Whyte Jr. has battled injuries early in camp but has dynamic speed and burst according to his player profile. He isn’t expected to see much work in the offense this season but his skill set is one to keep an eye on in the future. This preseason we should pay attention to the roles that the top three backs carve out in the offense.
-Kevin Taylor