Three important decisions the Panthers must make before regular season

NFL training camps are heating up and teams have plenty to figure out over the next month.

Here are three decisions the Carolina Panthers must make before they kick off their regular season on Sept 8.

What role do rookies play?

Carolina used three of its first four picks on offensive skill-position players, including wide receiver Xavier Legette, running back Jonathon Brooks and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders.

Legette is already turning heads in training camp. He entered camp as a likely starter in three-wide sets and has done everything in his power to confirm those prior beliefs.

Brooks is part of a crowded backfield (more on that later), while his teammate at Texas, Sanders, is in a training camp battle with Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas for starting tight end.

The Panthers had one of the worst collections of skill position players in the league a season ago and how quickly the rookie trio can become a factor on gameday could determine whether Carolina sees more success on the field than in 2023 when it finished 2-15, the league's worst record.

Running back rotation

The Panthers' backfield shrunk when the team placed 2024 free-agent signing Rashaad Penny on the reserve/retired list. That said, the aforementioned Brooks will compete with Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders for touches in Carolina's offense when he returns from the active/non-football injury list after suffering a torn ACL at Texas in November 2023.

Last year with the Longhorns, Brooks had 187 carries, 1,139 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

Hubbard, a fourth-round pick (No. 126 overall) from the 2021 NFL Draft, outplayed 2023 free-agent addition Sanders last season and is penciled in as the team's starter.

Associated Press sportswriter Steve Reed recently examined about first-year head coach Dave Canales' commitment to the run game.

"I think the teams that play well toward the end of the season are the ones that can run the ball and who can stop the run," Canales said.

Sophomore quarterback Bryce Young echoed his head coach.

"We have to make sure that we run the ball," Young said. "It would set some things up for us off that, too. We definitely see it translating out here."

How Canales divvies up the touches could determine the effectiveness of the attack.

Per Reed, Canales revealed that "Sanders has come into camp highly focused and motivated," while Raheem Blackshear (a candidate to return kicks) was also highlighted as a potential third-down back.

Number of receivers on the 53-man roster

With Legette, Adam Thielen and 2024 trade acquisition Diontae Johnson, the Panthers are in better shape at wide receiver than they were last season.

Carolina still must determine how many wideouts to keep on its 53-man regular-season roster. It's probably too soon for the team to give up on Jonathan Mingo, a 2023 second-round pick. Terrace Marshall Jr., 24, is also young enough to warrant a roster spot for the fourth consecutive year.

ESPN lists Ihmir Smith-Marsette as the team's projected starting punt returner and he could land on the roster as a special teams ace. That would give the Panthers six receivers. Any more than that would be unnecessary, meaning players including Deven Thompkins and David Moore, who followed Canales from Tampa Bay, where he served as offensive coordinator in 2023, could be on borrowed time.