Panthers 2018 season opener countdown: 18 days to go

We are 18 days away from the beginning of the Carolina Panthers 2018 season. That means today we take a closer look at wide receiver Damiere Byrd.Damiere Byrd Youth Trai Turner Jersey , Wide receiverBioHeight: 5’9”Weight: 180 lbsAge: 25College: South CarolinaNFL Experience: 3 yearsDamiere Byrd was signed by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and has appeared in nine games, eight of which came in 2017. He has 11 career receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and he also holds the Panthers franchise record for longest kickoff return for a touchdown—a 103-yard return against the Buccaneers in 2017.As long as the Panthers decide to keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster this season, Byrd’s spot on the team is almost guaranteed. He’s certainly one of the six best wideouts on the current 90-man roster, but if the coaching staff decide to play the numbers game and only keep five guys on the depth chart, his spot could be in serious jeopardy.Panthers vs Cowboys: Q&A with Blogging the Boys I spoke with Dave Halperin of Blogging the Boys about the new-look 2018 Cowboys. He had a lot to say about the optimism in a post-Dez Bryant world, Dak Prescott’s 3rd year, and more. Read on for an inside look at the Panthers week 1 opponent.Cat Scratch Reader: Y’all lost Jason Witten and Dez Bryant this off season. How are the Cowboys going to replace them?Blogging the Boys: Rather than just trying to replace them Youth Cam Newton Jersey , the Cowboys are altering their offense somewhat and they are looking at doing things more by committee. Witten and Bryant were certainly the focal point of the offense, but over the last few years their production had started to slip. Bryant’s particular set of skills didn’t seem to match up well with Dak Prescott, so the Cowboys want to go with more precise route-runners. They want to spread the ball around more and move their receivers around more instead of the stable sets they’ve been running for years. So the hope is it will be a community effort in replacing the production of Bryant and Witten.CSR: It feels like you guys have struggled to field a consistent secondary since busting on the selection of Morris Claiborne in the 2012 draft. What are your expectations this year?BTB: The Cowboys secondary is young but has a lot of potential. Dallas brought in Kris Richard who helped create the Legion of Boom in Seattle, he is an aggressive coordinator and the Cowboys want more production from their secondary in the form of turnovers. They have moved Byron Jones from safety to cornerback and he seems to be thriving in the preseason. The cornerbacks with Jones and second-year player Chidobe Awuzie seem pretty solid. At safety they are a little thin, and projected free safety starter Xavier Woods almost certainly won’t be participating in the game. The Cowboys secondary is definitely young, but they have athletes there and they should be better than in past years.CSR: The Panthers offensive line has been one of the most injured units I’ve seen in football and they haven’t played the first game yet. How healthy is the Cowboy’s front 7 and should the Panthers be afraid of them?BTB: The Cowboys front seven on defense could be one of the most improved parts of the team. DeMarcus Lawrence had his breakout season last year, and Randy Gregory is now back and played well in the preseason. They are the bookend defensive ends, and last year’s first-round pick Taco Charlton has shown great improvement in training camp and in preseason. Sean Lee is a stud at linebacker http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.com/mike-adams-jersey-authentic , and Jaylon Smith has looked fully recovered from his college injury and could form a formidable duo with Lee. The defensive tackles are little shaky with David Irving suspended, but overall this unit has talent and depth. Hopefully this year’s first-round pick, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, will get healthy and be able to contribute. CSR: Dak Prescott came back to Earth a little last season after his impressive rookie campaign. What should we expect from him as he starts year 3?BTB: Last year’s issues were as much about the player’s around him that were missing as they were with Prescott himself. Halfway through the season, Prescott was having an excellent year, close to the same as he had in 2016. Then Tyron Smith got injured and Ezekiel Elliot was suspended and things started to fall apart. The Cowboys backups for Smith were awful and Prescott took a lot of sacks and pressures. Then not having Zeke also hurt the offense, and Prescott’s play fell off. I would expect that he will look more like the guy that played in 2016 and through the first eight games of 2017, than the guy who finished the season.CSR: What player has been a total surprise this offseason and is now in line to see substantial playing time.BTB: Defensive tackle Antwaun Woods. We signed him late in the free agency period and no one really expected much. But he has played really well in training camp and in the preseason names and his stock has shot up. He should find himself with some serious playing time. CSR: How healthy are the Cowboys entering the season?BTB: They are relatively healthy. Travis Frederick is the big issue Womens Torrey Smith Jersey , our starting All-Pro center will miss some time after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an auto-immune disease. There is no precise timetable for his return and he will not be playing this week. As mentioned above, starting safety Xavier Woods is injured and likely won’t play. Datone Jones, a member of the defensive tackle rotation will also be out. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins is recovering from a broken foot and we’re not so sure how ready he will be, the same holds for linebacker Leighton Vander Esch who has a groin issue.