FanHouse JasonCarter

Remember a few months ago when we were joking about how deep the Carolina Panthers were at receiver? It seemed silly, didn't it? After all, this team's wideout corps has been Steve Smith and the Droptastics for the last three years. Where are all these receivers going to come from?

Apparently, from nowhere. Reports out of camp are that Jason Carter, a former Texas A&M QB-turned-receiver who was on the Panthers' practice squad last season, is making big noise in camp, catching everything thrown his way -- including passes that third-string QB Brett Basanez is intentionally throwing several feet over Carter's head. As Basanez told the Charlotte Observer: "I make him look good. We work on that all the time."

Does Carter's emergence create a dilemma for the Panthers at receiver? We can assume Smith, Muhsin Muhammad and D.J. Hackett will make the cut, but what about the guys behind them? Dwayne Jarrett is reportedly much improved this year, and Ryne Robinson is still the designated kick returner, so replacing him with Carter seems highly unlikely. John Fox isn't the kind of team to carry six receivers on the active roster. If Carter continues to impress, would Carolina cut or trade someone else to make room for him? Or does the inevitable D.J. Hackett injury leave Carter plenty of room?

It's only May, so we're months away from seeing the proof here, but it seems the big story about The Train Wreck That Is The Carolina Panthers -- you can thank the FanHouse commenters for that moniker -- is that they have (*gasp*) actual depth at receiver.

First, there's D.J. Hackett, who reportedly made "several fine catches" during the weekend workouts and had nothing but good things to say about Jake Delhomme. In turn, the Panthers QB had nothing but good things to say about Muhsin Muhammad's return.

"I'll be honest with you -- the day we got Moose back, that was huge. And not for what he's done in the past. Just the way he works, the way he blocks. He brings a presence."

Another report has Jason Carter, the third-year man from Texas A&M who spent last season on the Panthers' practice squad, making the most spectacular catch of the weekend and looking generally impressive. That same report says, "Dwayne Jarrett has great hands. That's all." (Translation: He runs routes like Keary Colbert.)

Of course, it's way too early to tell whether any of these guys will take the double- and triple-teams off Steve Smith during actual games, but it sure sounds like there's a light at the end of the tunn-- Agh! It's an oncoming train! Run!