Panthers on the Roster Bubble: S Sam Franklin Jr.

Can the third-year safety stick around?

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be previewing the "roster bubble" aka the list of players who are not guaranteed a roster spot when the team trims things all the way down from 90 to 53.

Today's bubble profile: S Sam Franklin Jr.

Over the last couple of years, the Carolina Panthers have added a number of bodies to the safeties room. Now, the team has seven safeties on the roster if you include Myles Hartsfield who can play a little bit of everything. 

A year ago, the Panthers had a bunch of different combinations in the back end paired up with Jeremy Chinn. With the arrival of Xavier Woods, playing time will be scarce. Taking a quick glance at the other safeties in the room, Franklin's job is not safe. Sean Chandler, Juston Burris, and Myles Hartsfield are all primed to make the cut, so it will likely come down to Franklin and Kenny Robinson jockeying for the final spot. 

Although the Panthers' staff likes Franklin's potential, he hasn't performed all that well in game action. In his first two years, Franklin has allowed 14 receptions on 21 targets. His pass coverage skills are subpar at best and isn't quite as versatile as some of the other guys in the back end of the defense. The margin for error is small for Franklin in the month of August.

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