Carolina Panthers mailbag: What’s next at cornerback with Stephon Gilmore joining Vikings?

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The Carolina Panthers still have some mystery to them. The starters on offense and defense have sat out both of their preseason games, so their training camp performances have been the only means of evaluation this summer.

Naturally, fans are curious about the future of their favorite team. That’s why The Observer has brought back the Panthers mailbag to answer some of the faithful’s biggest inquiries.

Here are three standout questions from social media:

What’s next at cornerback?

Thomas asks: With the miss on Stephon Gilmore, do you believe the Panthers will target any current free agents or just wait to see who’s cut and more likely draw from that instead with the 1st waiver order position?

Mike Kaye: The Panthers were interested in adding Stephon Gilmore. But because of the notable contract he was able to land with Minnesota this weekend (reportedly 1 year, $10 million with $7 million guaranteed), I’m not sure I would categorize losing out on him as being a “miss.”

The Vikings clearly went all out in a way the Panthers weren’t going to, as that is a massive price for a soon-to-be 34-year-old corner during the preseason. According to a league source, Carolina did make an offer — albeit one that didn’t match that amount.

The Gilmore payday reminds me of the Panthers’ blunder in signing pass rusher Justin Houston to a $6 million deal in the middle of training camp last summer. The then-34-year-old outside linebacker was mediocre in his seven games with the team before suffering an injury and eventually being released.

The Panthers aren’t expected to be contenders, and Gilmore got more for this season than Dane Jackson, the projected No. 2 cornerback, got on his entire two-year deal in free agency in March.

Sure, Gilmore would have been a notable upgrade over Jackson, but if you’re studying the team’s approach to building the roster, it’s clear the team is valuing defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s system and its ability to elevate defensive backs over bringing in notable names for equally significant prices.

That said, the Panthers do need help at the position. Jackson will be sidelined for over a month with a hamstring injury, according to head coach Dave Canales. That injury outlook is why it made sense for the Panthers to at least try to get Gilmore to sign, even if that effort proved to be not enough.

With Gilmore off the table, the pickings are slim on the cornerback market. Xavien Howard, Adoree’ Jackson and Patrick Peterson are still available, but there hasn’t been any recent reporting on their markets.

The answer is likely to come from potential trades or waiver-wire additions.

The Panthers do have No. 1 priority on the waiver wire. But their needs are apparent, and most teams need cornerback depth, so smart front offices will try to trade ahead of the waiver wire to add talent at the position.

While Dicaprio Bootle and D’Shawn Jamison are solid depth pieces, the Panthers need better talent at the top. Chau Smith-Wade, the team’s fifth-round pick, has been a pleasant surprise this summer, but starting him too early could create issues with his development. Right now, on paper, the starting secondary looks like Jaycee Horn at one outside spot with Smith-Wade working in at nickel or outside, and veteran Troy Hill filling the other spot.

The Panthers might need to make a trade to upgrade that trio. As of now, though, it’s hard to see clear answers around the league. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any, but it’s going to take being clever to find a solution.

A Terrace Marshall sweepstakes?

Daniel asks: It seems like Terrace Marshall Jr. could be the odd man out from a suddenly crowded wide receiver room even after his strong showing during camp. What kind of trade value do you think he has?

I think it’s worth asking yourself: If Marshall can’t make the Panthers’ roster, how valuable is he in the grand scheme of things?

That’s a question other teams will be asking themselves when presented with the opportunity of trading for Marshall, who asked to be moved last year and found little interest elsewhere.

He has had a strong camp, but it’s also worth noting that teams have three years of film and uneven history to evaluate as well. Given that he has been passed over by multiple coaching staffs, it’s hard to believe that a team will view him as the slam-dunk answer as their No. 3 wide receiver, which is a relatively important spot.

Still, wide receiver is a premium position and teams are in need of upgrades. There are likely to be several teams looking to add wideouts at the cut-down deadline, and Marshall could be a jewel of that group in a minor trade, in theory.

Marshall is probably a candidate for a player-for-player swap. As mentioned, the Panthers might need to trade for a cornerback, so offering up Marshall to a wideout-needy team could help them hold onto draft picks in an exchange.

A team like the Philadelphia Eagles could use an upgrade at No. 3 or No. 4 receiver, and they have a bunch of young corners with experience. Marshall for a depth cornerback like Josh Jobe or Eli Ricks could make some sense, though neither corner is a sure-fire upgrade over Smith-Wade. The Dallas Cowboys, who are dealing with a CeeDee Lamb holdout, could look for insurance as well, and they have some corners worth acquiring in a low-level trade.

The same could be said for the pass rusher position. Marshall might be worth adding for a team that has a bunch of evenly matched depth outside linebackers.

Ultimately, trading Marshall for a seventh-round pick isn’t all that appealing because it doesn’t help the Panthers immediately, and the wide receiver has looked strong throughout most of the summer. I’m not convinced Marshall is a goner, but I think he is a reasonable player-for-player trade chip if the opportunity presents itself.

If Marshall stays, I think it’s more likely that Ihmir Smith-Marsette and/or undrafted rookie Jalen Coker are the odd men out. Marshall has outperformed both by a significant margin this summer on offense, but he doesn’t play special teams well. When you’re the fourth or fifth wideout, you need to be able to stick out on special teams. When Xavier Legette is fully healthy, Marshall will be no higher than fifth on the depth chart is the guess here.

The starter decision on preseason finale

Ben asks: What’s your concern level if Canales elects to not play the starters again week 3 of preseason?

The preseason, in a lot of ways, has become a farce. While some teams play their entire starting lineups, others pick and choose, and some — like the Panthers so far — just completely punt on the evaluation of the top-tier talent.

I think the move to a three-game slate has created some gray area in the debate. I also think the rise of joint practices has largely made preseason football seem like a high-risk, low-reward endeavor.

The injury risk of the preseason is very real. Over the past two games, the Panthers have sustained a handful of injuries that have cost them depth. Backup center Cade Mays (shoulder) and backup offensive tackle Badara Traore (knee) were sidelined all of last week because of injuries in the preseason opener, and linebacker Tae Davis (foot), cornerback Lamar Jackson (knee), and defensive back Anthony Brown (hand) all went down on Saturday against the New York Jets.

The Panthers aren’t illogical for wanting their starters to avoid the same fate.

But there is something to be said about live reps. While QB Bryce Young was one of the biggest winners of training camp, he hasn’t had to deal with the threat of being hit all summer. The last time he was put in that position was in mid-January, so there’s a logical concern that going from a controlled environment to chaos could take some getting used to if he skips the entire preseason.

The Panthers’ starting offensive line has been banged up, and the top-tier talent at wideout and tight end have been in and out of practice for weeks. There’s an argument to be made that Young won’t benefit much from playing with a ragtag bunch of starters for two or three preseason series.

Still, the Panthers, frankly, were abysmal last year. And while pleasing the fan base can’t be on the minds of the coaching staff or front office in the preseason, there is this lingering question of, “Are they really that much better with Canales?” around the fan base. Fans want proof that this team, at its best, can put together a touchdown drive (sorry, Dillon Johnson) when it matters.

If the Panthers had set up three joint practices this summer, similar to the Jets, not playing in the preseason probably wouldn’t have raised that many non-PSL-owning eyebrows. But the reality is that Young and the starting company have only played a defense different than their own once this summer.

Cool, you’ve had a ride on a mechanical bull in a honky-tonk bar once. That doesn’t mean you can work as a professional rodeo clown. Or, at least, I wouldn’t recommend taking that leap right away — I admittedly don’t know what the process is to get that job or to do it well.

But back to the point, the Panthers should try to test at least some of their starters Saturday against the Buffalo Bills, if only to get them a taste of the speed and chaos of the game. Yes, the Panthers have a lot of veterans for a team coming off a 2-15 record, but that’s kind of the point, right? How can this team grow from last year’s disaster without forging in-game chemistry?

Sitting the starters throughout the preseason and then getting off to a lame start against the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders — three of the more winnable games on paper this season — would be a doomsday look for Canales and the rest of the crew.