Who is going to be Austin Corbett’s temporary replacement at right guard? Well, we may finally find out around this time next week.
Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich spoke to reporters following Monday’s practice. When asked about figuring out their starting offensive line, he offered a possible timeframe for a decision.
“That offense—you need that chemistry, you need to get going,” he said. “But at the same time, we need to figure out who those five guys are gonna be, and it is a competitive battle inside. We’ll just continue to work towards that final five. I think here, in the next week, it should come to—hopefully—a conclusion.”
Saturday’s showing in the preseason opener didn’t provide much hope for the entire unit—let alone the one spot. Carolina allowed eight quarterback hits and five sacks in the disappointing 27-0 loss to the New York Jets
Nonetheless, Reich believes that the performance shouldn’t take away from what his hog mollies have done over the entirety of the offseason.
“Obviously, just gettin’ more consistent,” he said of what he’s looking for in the ongoing competition. “I feel like there’s been so much positive—throughout the whole OTAs and throughout all of training camp. We feel like our O-line is a strength for us. As we’re working to build that chemistry and build who that starting five is—Saturday was not a good day for us as a team. It was not a good day upfront. But that doesn’t make me waver at all in my belief in our offensive line and who we are.”
Candidates for the job may include 2022 sixth-round pick Cade Mays, veterans Justin McCray and Deonte Brown and rookies Chandler Zavala and Nash Jensen.
