Following Fridays practice session Rivera says he plans to add a Linebacker and address other positional needs as necessary according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer.
Gettleman plans to meet with coaches Sat. about tryout players. Rivera says team will sign a LB. Other positions of note: OL, S and WR.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) May 13, 2016
Interesting enough, Duke standout Safety and coveted UDFA Jeremy Cash has already reported that he will be playing Linebacker as well. More of a move to recreate the kind of success Cash saw in college than to shore up the LB corps, that puts one less player at what is ostensibly one of the Panthers weakest positions. Adding yet another name to that list on the surface seems to make little sense.
It's important to remember that this is still the training camp roster and really all it shows is they liked what they saw in a few players. However, adding to an already stacked position makes you wonder if there's a desire to add some depth there. This is the time of year when Getts and Co. get to work uncovering the hidden gems at wholesale prices. However, there's a not a lot to choose form in the current veteran's pool. Donald Butler and Stephen Tulloch come to mind however one has some serious ethic questions and the other is on the wrong side of 30. It's exciting to see who might show up tryouts to be the next pre-season standout vying for an opening day position.
Whichever way the front office chooses to go it looks like this year the answer isn't necessarily already on the roster and the mantra seems to be make your strengths stronger.