Welcome to another answers edition of this week’s mailbag!
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We were light on the questions this week, but they were diverse! As always, this is your place to ask your questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic! Bring your questions in the comments of next weeks part one post, Brian Asks, and you’ll see your questions answered. Much like the ones we have down below!
Carolinamaybenextyears: If you had to pick one player off of the current roster to represent the Keep Pounding motto, who would it be? For me, it’s Chuba Hubbard. The way he came here and improved year in and year out, I feel like he has earned everything he’s gotten so far. Tough as nails with a great work ethic.
I would say Chuba Hubbard is a fine answer. He’s truly developed from a 4th round pick who needed some shine to an actual RB1 in the NFL, and the Panthers rewarded his efforts both as an individual player and as a leader with an extension last season. He’s one of the few gems to come out of the Matt Rhule era.
Other candidates, well I’d say Bryce Young has certainly earned that stripe as well. He was thrown into a horrific situation for a rookie quarterback, and then his ghosts from his rookie season haunted him to start the 2024 year. He played so bad he got benched, and when the situation arose for him to resurface, he had a bounce back that reclaimed his career. Bryce Young had to deal with both the media, the fans, and even his own coaches showing wavering faith in him, but he worked hard, stayed consistent, and found a groove. He capped off the season with a career victory against the Falcons, and he’s continuing to put in the work every day.
Vashti2112: Another CB signs a record-setting deal (Sauce Gardner), pushing Horn’s deal down to 3rd. Obviously, more deals will get signed, more record-setting contracts, and Horn’s deal gets farther away from the top. Maybe not this year, but the next.
So how many deals need to be signed before Horn’s deal is considered ‘good’?
NFL contracts are always going to be an exercise of one-upping each other until the salary cap stops consistently rising, or the NFL fades. Hard to say how many deals it will take, but give it another full year and Jaycee Horn probably will be closer to top 10 paid Cbs rather than top 3.
positivebob: Does this team value the TE position and how do think it shakes out? They have 6 on the roster. I don’t know anything about Dafney-he is 28 or Pierre. Sanders is in, got some promise and only 22. Evans has a spot to lose. With Tremble hurt, and not that good when healthy, will they just keep 2? I think James Mitchell has a real shot. He had some bad luck with injuries in Detroit, played behind LaPorta, top 5 TE, and Wright, a guy the Lions really like. Lost out to Zylstra because Zylstra played fullback too, which the Lions value, and had more ST value. I also wonder how much the Panthers value ST players. Mitchell showed good hands when he got a chance, admittedly he didn’t get many, but Holmes drafted him and he’s a very good judge of football talent. Still just 25. I think Mitchell ends up TE3 and works awy up from there.
I think Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, and Mitchell Evans are all locks to make this roster. They kept 3 TEs going into last season, and I don’t expect this year to be any different. The only real question mark is Evans, as Tremble signed a new deal that should keep him on the team this season. Evans was coming off an injury in 2024, so his performance was a bit hampered. But he does everything you want a tight end to do, so he should find a spot as a do-it-all piece. I don’t think any of the others on the roster will make it unless they really show out in the preseason.
TXPanther: Which group will cave first – the 2nd round players or the teams? And which team would you guess as most likely to cave?
A few players have since signed, mostly with slightly elevated guarantees on their contracts compared to years past with 2nd round picks. I think the two sides are finding common ground now that training camp is just around the corner, but we’ll see if Nic Scourton signs. As of this writing, he hasn’t.
@WTMealey: 22 prime Cam Newton clones vs 22 prime Julius Pepper clones in a game of football where they have to play all positions.
Who wins and why?
I love Cam Newton to death, but between blocking 4-5 Julius Peppers on a passing play, trying to run any kind of perimeter toss, or even kicking a field goal, 11 Peppers on defense are going to win. And I think 11 Peppers on offense would just out-physical Cam Newton. Remember, this is the same man that gave Saquon Barkley his “welcome to the NFL” moment by dragging him down with one arm. My money is on 22 prime Julius Peppers, even if they can’t throw the ball as well.
Bruce Guild: Is cauliflower pizza truly pizza or a baked vegetable pie?
I think its a pizza, regardless of the crust. Little Cauli’s.
That’s all folks! Join us next week for another round of questions. And KEEP POUNDING!