From fullback to fill-in starter? Cade Mays could be big part of Panthers OL’s future
The Carolina Panthers offensive line was a dependable group — built around durability and consistency — through the first 16 games of the season. The starting unit had only two different lineups, and the only switch was at center.
But in team’s 10-7 win in the season finale against the New Orleans Saints, that consistency and durability was emphatically shattered in the first half.
Left guard Brady Christensen fractured his left ankle, and right guard Austin Corbett tore the ACL in his left knee. Christensen was replaced by veteran Michael Jordan, while Corbett’s duties were handled by rookie Cade Mays.
Mays hadn’t played a live rep on the offensive line since the preseason, and he had only worked 17 snaps as a part-time fullback to that point. Despite the inexperience, Mays thrived as the Panthers pushed past the Saints.
With Corbett and Christensen set for lengthy rehab stints, Mays — a sixth-round pick in last year’s draft — could be destined for a temporary starting role in training camp and beyond, based on the potential he showed in the finale.
“I hate it for those guys — wish them the best in their process,” May said Monday. “I got that opportunity and made the most of it. For next year, it gives me a great jump start into next season of having that confidence, going out and just playing hard. I think everybody got some confidence in me, seeing that it was actually my first time going out there and doing it. It was awesome.”
Mays, a Tennessee alum, doubled his reps for the season during his fill-in duty. While he spent his first rep as a fullback, his other 33 plays were in the trenches, and the rookie impressed his bosses with his ability to come into the game and work at any spot necessary.
“To put a big guy like that in the backfield, just shows the type of athlete he is,” GM Scott Fitterer said. “It’s so hard for a 315-pound guy to adjust on the run like he does. And then (Sunday) was sort of a blessing in disguise. You hate any injury, especially to Corbett, who is an awesome guy. But to see what Cade did when he came in, the movement he got at the line of scrimmage, the physicality that he played with, a guy that hasn’t taken a lot of reps with that group and the way he communicated with them. ... That’s a great sign.”
Veteran center Bradley Bozeman took Mays under his wing this season. Like Mays, Bozeman was once a sixth-round pick who had to battle his way onto the field by any means necessary.
Now, Bozeman — who spent the first six games of the season on the bench — is set to cash in during free agency after taking over for an injured Pat Elflein in Week 7. Bozeman has also laid a career path for Mays to follow.
Against the Saints, Bozeman and Mays played alongside each other, and the fifth-year veteran was impressed by the rookie to his right.
“Cade showed what he can do in the second half,” Bozeman said. “He just — he’s a dog.”
Mays will spend the offseason working out and reflecting on his rookie season.
With Corbett potentially sidelined until the start of next season, Mays knows he has a big opportunity awaiting him in the summer during training camp.
Mays won’t get too far ahead of himself. He knows he has areas of his game to improve and that every year brings new competition. For now, though, he is just grateful for the foundation he established in his first season in Carolina.
“I just grew so much,” Mays said. “Just being consistent, being the same guy, showing up to work every day and just learning from the great guys I had in the room. The great leaders we had — watching how they went about their business, it was just awesome to have them to lean on and learn from.”
This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 5:45 AM with the headline "From fullback to fill-in starter? Cade Mays could be big part of Panthers OL’s future."
