The Carolina Panthers played their first preseason game defeating the Washington Commander 23-21. There were a lot of unexpected and unsurprising performances that happened in the game. What I am happy to say is that I saw a lot players making plays that can translate to the regular season.
Here are my standouts from week one against the Commanders.
Shi Smith
Smith found himself playing with the first unit due to the absence of receivers DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr.. Smith saw early action, with five targets and catching two passes for 34 yards. Its encouraging to see Smith build early chemistry with presumable week one starter Baker Mayfield, as all his catches came from Mayfield.
Carolina’s receiver room is loaded, so seeing Smith play well in the preseason is a positive sign. Who knows, he may find himself starting alongside DJ Moore and Robby Anderson, but we will have to wait and see.
Amare Barno
Barno was all over the field in his first NFL action. He recovered a fumble and created pressure which forced former Carolina quarterback Taylor Heinicke into an interception. Barno still has a lot to prove but after this performance the Panthers may have found a steal in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Brandon Smith
If you look at the stat sheet Smith did not record a single tackle, but his impact on the field was definitely felt. In the game he was handing out big and viscous hits.
Rookie LB Brandon Smith delivering a huge hit pic.twitter.com/aqoiDqovwi
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 13, 2022
The fourth round pick out of Penn State showed his reaction to passing plays and his ability to cover the field in his first taste of the NFL. Carolina may have the leagues next big hitter on their hands, but only time will tell.
Offensive line
I haven’t felt this confident in a Carolina offensive line in a long time. Outside a bad snap, the group of Brady Christensen, Michael Jordan, Pat Elflein, Austin Corbett and Taylor Moton played solid with Baker Mayfield. The interior played the most impressive, but tackles Christensen and Moton looked nice too. That unit may not be starting together in week one but its great to see the cohesiveness they played with.
The young bucks on the offensive line came to play as well. Rookie offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu was underwhelming in his NFL debut. He got beat a couple plays but that’s what’s expected as a rookie left tackle.
And a forgotten player from the Panther’s 2022 rookie class, guard Cade Mays, played excellent. He was getting dirty in the trenches and laying dudes flat on their back.
RG Cade Mays (64) getting movement and finishing with the pancake 🥞 🥞🥞🥞 pic.twitter.com/9v9SeAeOvA
— The 4 Man Rush (@4ourmanrush) August 13, 2022
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