The center position was in flux just a few weeks ago, but now Austin Corbett, Brady Christensen, and Cade Mays are all returning in 2025.
Until just a few days ago, center was one of the greatest positions of need for the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers started three different centers last year in Austen Corbett, Brady Christensen, and Cade Mays. None of them were under contract when the 2024 season drew to a close.
Corbett was the Week 1 starter last year but suffered a season-ending biceps injury in Week 5. Fourth-year jack-of-all-trades Brady Christensen filled in at starting center once Corbett went down and played well. But then Christensen was surprisingly replaced by Cade Mays who started eight of the team’s final nine games.
Then after the 2024 season ended, back-to-back-back signings happened.
First, the Panthers tendered Cade Mays as a restricted free agent on a one-year, 3.3 million deal. Shortly thereafter, the team announced Austin Corbett would be returning on a one-year, $3 million contract. Three days later, Brady Christensen was re-signed on a one-year, $2.8 million deal.
Instead of center being a position of need, it’s going to be one of the most intriguing position battles in this year’s camp.
The curious cases of Mays and Christensen
It’s actually kind of wild that both Cade Mays and Brady Christensen will be Carolina Panthers this year.
Mays got waived in 2024 and it seemed like Christensen would bolt for greener pastures as a free agent, but here we are.
Regarding Mays, he was originally a 2022 sixth-round pick by the Panthers and became a spot starter at guard in 2023. He didn’t light the world on fire, however, as witnessed by his 58.3 PFF grade. Mays was subsequently waived in 2024 by the Panthers at final roster cuts and then signed with the New York Giants practice squad in September. One month later the Panthers had a change of heart and brought him back to Charlotte by signing him off the Giants practice squad. Four weeks later, Cade Mays was the team’s starting center.
It’s also curious to see Brady Christensen re-upping for another year with the Panthers. The versatile offensive lineman has started at all five offensive line positions during his tenure with the Panthers, and it seemed like center would become his “home” until he was rather surprisingly supplanted by Cade Mays. By benching Christensen in favor of Mays, it appeared Carolina’s brass was signaling to the soon-to-be free agent that they weren’t going to bring him back. And, frankly, it seemed like a handful of teams would have been willing to offer Christensen a multi-year deal with a more clear path to a starting role than the Panthers had to offer.
Christensen seemed as good as gone at the end of 2024, but he’s back for another year with the team.
The battle for starting center
Before assessing how things will play out in 2025, let’s take a look at how the three viable centers performed last year, per Pro Football Focus:
At a high level, all three players graded out near each other with Corbett at 62.2, Christensen at 63.6, and Mays at 66.1. Mays graded out as the best pass blocker of the bunch while Christensen earned the highest run blocking score.
They were all good. None of them were great.
While it’s probably an open competition for all three players, my guess is Austin Corbett has the inside track, provided he stays healthy. He’s the most experienced, accomplished center on the team. At this point in his career, I doubt he would have re-signed with the Panthers unless he had some assurances that it’s more likely than not that he’ll be able to earn the starting gig.
The battle for backup center between Christensen and Mays will be interesting.
Mays probably has a slight advantage over Christensen at this point. After all, the offensive staff had the choice between the two last year, and they ended up going with Mays. Given that he’s just 25 years old, he could also be the long-term successor for the role provided he continues to progress in learning the position.
But I don’t expect Brady Christensen to just roll over and surrender his chance to start at center. He’s in the prime of his career and on a one-year deal. Yes, he’s a capable backup at both guard and tackle, but he’s also a competitor who wants to start. That said, my guess is the duo of Corbett and Mays wins out, and Christensen is once again relegated to a backup role while playing in specialized jumbo packages.
Just a few weeks ago the Panthers had zero centers under contract.
Today they have three.
Let the battle begin!