Carolina Panthers

Five things we learned about the Panthers this preseason

Published Sep. 8, 2015 8:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

In their quest to win a third straight NFC South division title, the Panthers, they were dealt a brutal blow when wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin went down with a torn ACL in the preseason.

It's going to be a very telling season for this offensive unit without Benjamin, as they will try to replace his production with a commitee approach.

With the regular season set to kick off on Thursday, here are the five most important things we learned from the Panthers' preseason.

1. It will take a committee to replace Benjamin

The starting unit for Carolina's offense has struggled mightily to get the ball rolling this preseason. The slow starts are obviously a cause for concern, but when you lose your top receiver, it's going to take some time to adjust. Wide receiver Corey Brown had a total of six drops over two preseason games, and the lone player to bail the passing game out has been tight end Greg Olsen.

2. Dave Gettleman doesn't mess around with contract extensions

This offseason, the Panthers signed Olsen, Newton and Davis to contract extensions. Anytime you can lock in three of your best players with multi-year deals, you're doing something right. Expect Gettleman and Kuechly to have an extension done before long.

3. Cam Newton's confidence won't waver, regardless of who he's throwing the ball to

Whether it's speedy receivers in Ted Ginn Jr. or Corey Brown, veteran Jerricho Cotchery or the newest WR Kevin Norwood, Newton is confident. Losing Benjamin obviously hurt this team, but Newton will always keep the faith in his receivers. Even more importantly, he's the type of player who'll remain confident if he starts off 10-of-10 passing, or 0-of-10 passing.

4. LT Michael Oher looks like a new man

The early reviews on newly-signed left tackle Michael Oher have been stellar. The Panthers needed someone to protect Newton in that left tackle spot, and they're hoping that they just got a steal with Oher. Former left tackle Byron Bell wasn't the answer for Carolina. If Oher can play like he has so far in the regular season, he will prove to be a major upgrade over Bell.

5. Defensive end Kony Ealy is ready to step up

With defensive end Greg Hardy no longer in town, and Ealy's biggest competition Frank Alexander suffering a season-ending Achilles injury, it means that all eyes are on the second-year pass rusher. While Ealy showed glimpses of brilliance at points during the 2014 season, he lacked consistency. In both the second and third preseason games, Ealy tallied a sack, while also forcing a fumble against the Miami Dolphins. Don't sleep on the former Missouri Tiger.

For more on the Carolina Panthers and the rest of the NFC South, follow Jeff on Twitter @JSM8ith. You can also check out all of the FOX Sports NFC South team pages for live updates and analysis.