The Panthers could really use better starting position for the offense in 2010.  23-year old RB Tyrell Sutton is a very talented player who could excel in this role.  He’s on the small side at 5′9″, 190 pounds but Sutton is strong and fast.  He played in 7 games for the Panthers last season and he returned 14 kickoffs for 302 yards (21.6 avg).  I think he will be better in 2010 for the Panthers.

23-year old RB Mike Goodson is also in the hunt for kickoff returns.  He played in 8 games for the Panthers last season and he returned 17 kickoffs for 352 yards (20.7 avg).  Goodson will need to improve to beat out Sutton for the kickoff returner job in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PANTHERS KICKOFF RETURNERS  in 2010:  C-

The Panthers have one of the most talented offensive lines in all of football.  It all starts on the blind side at tackle where Jordan Gross plays.  He is a solid technician who is always in the right place at the right time.  He will do a fine job of protecting whichever young QB takes the snaps for the Panthers in 2010.  Left guard Travelle Wharton is equally adept at run blocking and pass blocking.  That’s because he likes to hit the defender hard and first.  Center Ryan Kalil is very quick off the ball and that helps him win battles with DL who are bigger than he is.  Mackency Bernadeau will likely be the starting RG this year for the Panthers.  His stength is pass blocking but he has everything it takes to also be a good run blocker.  RT Jeff Otah is just plain nasty.  The only reason he’s playing RT instead of LT in because he’s quite a masher in the running game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PANTHERS O-LINE in 2010:  A

55-year old head coach John Fox might be on the hot seat in 2010 but he won’t have a hard time finding a new job if the Panthers let him go.  Fox somehow got his team to finish 8-8 last season despite getting horrible play out of the QBs.  It might have been his best coaching job ever.  Fox has a 71-57 (55.5%) record in his eight years with the Panthers and he is 5-3 (62.5%) in the post season.  He led the Panthers to a Super Bowl in 2003 in which they narrowly lost to the Patriots.  Fox is a good coach and he will get the most out of the Panthers in 2010.

40-year old John Kasay is getting up there but he’s still productive for the Panthers.  Kasay played in all 16 games for the Panthers last season and he connected on 22 of 27 field goals (81.5%).  He also made 31 of 32 extra points as he finished up with 97 points last year.  He has now played in 269 games in his NFL career and he has made 408 of 500 (81.6%) field goals and 507 of 518 extra points as he now has 1,731 career points.  It looks as if Todd Carter will be the Panthers kickoff specialist to save the bullets in Kasay’s gun for when they really count.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PANTHERS KICKERS in 2010:  B

The Panthers hope that 31-year old Steve Smith will be ready to start the season after breaking his arm in a flag football game earlier this summer.  He has been to 4 Pro Bowls in his 9 years with the Panthers.  Smith played in 15 games (all starts) for the Panthers last season and he caught 65 passes for 982 yards (15.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He has now played in 121 games (100 starts) in his nine years in the NFL and he has caught 574 passes for 8,330 yards (14.5 avg) with 50 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 47 times for 295 yards (6.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his NFL career.  With the kiddie corps the Panthers will have at QB…..they need Steve Smith to be ready to go when the 2010 NFL season begins.

Rookies Armanti Edwards (3rd round), Brandon LaFell (3rd round) and David Gettis (6th round) will all be given opportunities to earn the starting job opposite Steve Smith in training camp.  My money is on the 6′2″, 211 pound LaFell who is the most polished of these guys.  Edwards was a QB in college (Appalachian State) and he’s small at 5′11″, 182 pounds but he’s fast.  At best, he projects out to being a #3 WR in the NFL.  David Gettis is another big guy at 6′3″, 216 pounds but with the inexperience the Panthers have at WR he could move up the depth chart with a nice training camp.

23-year old Dwayne Jarrett is just trying to keep his NFL career going in Carolina.  He played in 13 games (2 starts) for the Panthers last season and he caught 17 passes for 196 yards (11.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Jarrett has now played in 29 games (3 starts) in his three years with the Panthers and he has caught 33 passes for 388 yards (11.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  If Jarrett doesn’t come to play in training camp he could get cut as the Panthers have been very disappointed in him so far in his career.

25-year old Kenneth Moore played in 12 games (1 start) as a rookie for the Panthers last season and he caught 6 passes for 59 yards (9.8 avg).  He doesn’t appear to have a big upside but he has as good a chance as any receiver other than Smith to produce in 2010 for the Panthers.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PANTHERS WRs in 2010:  C-