Is Terrace Marshall Jr. Living on the Roster Bubble Entering Training Camp?

Does the former second-round pick have a guaranteed spot on the 53-man?

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

This week officially marks the return of football in Carolina as the Panthers are set to hold their first training camp practice on Wednesday.

Most will have their eyes on Bryce Young and his development under rookie head coach Dave Canales, while some will pay close attention to the progression of left tackle Ikem Ekwonu. The fact of the matter is, there are several players who are entering a crucial season in 2024, but the one who needs to make an impression right away is fourth-year wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr.

The Panthers were intentional about re-shaping the wide receiver room this offseason, trading for Diontae Johnson and moving up into the first round of the draft to select Xavier Legette. Marshall, a former second-round pick, has failed to come anywhere close to being a reliable option and could be in serious danger of losing his spot on the roster if he fails to have a productive preseason. 

There is no guarantee that he'll have a spot on the 53-man roster when the final round of cuts are made at the end of next month. Veteran David Moore has spent time with this coaching staff in Seattle and Tampa Bay and although he offers a different skillset, he has familiarity with the scheme and the guys who coach it.

Canales also didn't offer the most promising analysis of the young receiver back in the spring, knowing that there's a lot of work to be done.

“He’s been reliable. He’s doing what we’re asking him to do. He’s running the right routes. You can see that this is a big man with speed in there and I think that the more comfortable he’s getting with our system, with our concepts, the faster he looks. I’m really curious to see where he takes that this year. I know he’s had a couple of years here and hasn’t really produced to the potential of what people might think, but hopefully we’ll create an environment where he’s able to get onto our offense and show us something.”

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