Carolina Panthers Depth Chart 2021: Predicting Week 1 offensive and defensive starters

The Carolina Panthers are in the midst of a rebuilding project that may take a few seasons before it bears success. Nevertheless, head coach Matt Rhule will hope to improve on his team's dismal 5-11 record last year.

The Panthers were active in free agency this off-season, trading for former Jets first-round pick, quarterback Sam Darnold. After not drafting a quarterback in this year’s draft, the Panthers have put their faith in Darnold for at least the upcoming season.

On that note, let's analyze the Carolina Panthers' roster for the 2021 NFL season.

Carolina Panthers Depth Chart

Offense

Quarterback: Sam Darnold, PJ Walker, Will Grier, Tommy Stevens.

Running Back: Christian McCaffrey, Chuba Hubbard, Trenton Cannon, Reggie Bonnafon, Rodney Smith, Darius Clark, Spencer Brown, Mason Stokke.

Wide Receiver: DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall Jr., David Moore, Shi Smith, Brandon Zylstra, Micah Simon, Omar Bayless, Keith Kirkwood, Marken Michel, Ventell Bryant, Ishmael Hyman.

Tight End: Dan Arnold, Ian Thomas, Tommy Tremble, Colin Thompson, Giovanni Ricci, Stephen Sullivan.

Offensive Tackle: Cameron Erving, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Greg Little, Matt Kaskey, Trent Scott, Aaron Monteiro, Martez Ivey.

Offensive Guard: Pat Elflein, John Miller, Deonte Brown, Sam Tecklenburg, Dennis Daley, Mike Horton, David Moore.

Center: Matt Paradis.

Defense

Interior Defensive Line: Derrick Brown, Bravvion Roy, Mike Panasiuk, DaQuan Jones, Daviyon Nixon, Phil Hoskins.

Edge: Haason Reddick, Brian Burns, Yetur Gross-Matos, Christian Miller, Morgan Fox, Marquis Haynes, Kendall Donnerson, Austin Larkin.

Linebacker: Denzel Perryman, Shaq Green-Thompson, Jermaine Carter, Jordan Mack, Paddy Fisher, Frankie Luvu, Chris Orr, Clay Johnston.

Cornerback: Jaycee Horn, Rashaan Melvin, AJ Bouye, Donte Jackson, Troy Pride, Keith Taylor, Myles Hartsfield, Stantley Thomas-Oliver.

Safety: Jeremy Chinn, Juston Burris, Kenny Robinson, Sean Chandler, Sam Franklin, Jalen Julius, JT Ibe, Lano Hill.

Special Teams

Kicker: Joey Slye.

Punter: Joseph Charlton, Oscar Draguicevich III.

Long Snapper: JJ Jansen, Thomas Fletcher.

Carolina Panthers Depth Chart Analysis - Offense

Quarterback: Sam Darnold will be the Carolina Panthers' starting QB this season. The Panthers are banking on their coaching staff' ability to resurrect the young quarterback's NFL career.

If Darnold can show some improvement from his time in New York, the Panthers could be competitive this season. Former XFL quarterback PJ Walker will back up Darnold in 2021.

Running Back: Make no mistake, Christian McCaffrey is the star of the Carolina Panthers. The team will be praying that their starting running back can remain healthy after an injury-plagued 2020 campaign.

McCaffrey is the key to the Panthers' success this season. He will be backed up by rookie Chuba Hubbard, whom the Panthers drafted in the fourth round.

Wide Receiver: DJ Moore will lead the Carolina Panthers' wide receiving group. During his time in Carolina, Moore has registered 208 receptions, 3,156 yards and ten touchdowns.

Sam Darnold will have a familiar face to throw to this season: former Jets receiver Robby Anderson. The latter recorded 102 catches for 1,531 yards and 11 TDs in 30 games played with Darnold. This pre-existing chemistry should help the QB settle quickly in Carolina.

Rookie Terrance Marshall Jr. and veteran David Moore will round out the wide receiving core for the upcoming season.

Tight End: The Carolina Panthers are somewhat weak at the tight end position. They brought in former Cardinals TE Dan Arnold, who had 31 catches for 438 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Ian Thomas will back up Arnold, with the Panthers coaching staff hoping he finally enjoys a breakout season.

Offensive Line: The Carolina Panthers signed former Cowboys tackle Cameron Erving to stabilize their offensive line. The NFL veteran has played 75 games, including 47 starts.

Free agent Pat Elflein joins the team after stints with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets. He can play all three interior offensive line positions.

Starting center Matt Paradis has returned to the new-look Carolina Panthers' offensive line.

Carolina Panthers Depth Chart Analysis - Defense

Interior Defensive Line: Last season's first-round pick Derrick Jones proved why he was drafted so high. The seventh overall pick recorded 34 tackles, two sacks, 12 quarterback hits, four passes defended, eight tackles for loss and 19 pressures as a rookie.

He will be joined by Bravvion Roy, who registered 29 tackles and a sack in 15 games.

Edge: Former first-round pick Haason Reddick signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers this off-season. Last season with the Cardinals, he recorded 12.5 sacks, a career-high.

Brian Burns will be rushing the passer alongside Reddick this season. Burns had 58 tackles, nine sacks, four passes defended and three forced fumbles, despite enduring a shoulder injury.

Linebacker: Another new face on the Panthers defense is linebacker Denzel Perryman. The former Los Angeles Chargers starter will be looking for a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2020 campaign.

Shaq Thompson will help anchor the Panthers' defense with Perryman. Thompson compiled 114 tackles, five passes defended and two forced fumbles last season.

Cornerback: The Carolina Panthers drafted rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn with the eighth overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Horn has the potential to be a shut-down CB. He is fast, running a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the combine. It could be a hectic first season for him playing in the Panthers' secondary.

Rashaan Melvin could start after being signed this off-season. Melvin had a great 2019 campaign playing for the Detroit Lions, recording 68 tackles and 11 passes defended in 13 games.

Another free agent, AJ Bouye, could be a solid backup option for the secondary but is suspended for the first two games of the season.

Safety: Second-year safety Jeremy Chinn should start again alongside Juston Burris as the last line of defense for the Panthers.

Chinn had a team-high 117 tackles, five passes defended, one interception, one sack, two fumbles forced, two fumbles recovered and two defensive touchdowns in 2020.

Juston Burris posted a career-best 53 tackles and one interception, with four passes defended.

Special Teams

Joey Slye returns as the Carolina Panthers' place kicker in 2021. He has a career field-goal percentage of 79.4, with a longest successful field goal of 56 yards.

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