CHARLOTTE -- This is Richard Marshall's moment.
In his first three seasons, Marshall was primarily the Panthers' nickel cornerback, starting eight games as a rookie in 2006 and five more in 2007 while Ken Lucas and
But with the release of Lucas in March, it's Marshall's turn.
"I can't say it hasn't been frustrating for him because it was a little bit of a logjam," head coach John Fox said. "Now he gets his opportunity, and I expect him to make the most of it -- and I'm sure he will."
With 13 starts and hundreds of practice repetitions with the first team, Marshall isn't walking blindly into what awaits him, even though the responsibility was still unspoken during organized team activities.
"They really haven't come out and said I'm the starter, but I've been going with the first group," Marshall said in May. "I've just got to play hard every play so I don't drop down into the second group and stay up there."
That means changing his mindset on game days to that of an every-down participant.
"Mentally, I've got to prepare to come in first down, second down, get in there and be ready to play all downs and never miss a step," he said. "(Lucas) played well last year, and he was a good corner for us the past three years and I've got to come in and hold that standard up and come in and play like he did."
The echo effect of Lucas's release and Marshall's rise to take his place impacted CJ Wilson during the offseason, as the third-year veteran found himself working as the nickel cornerback with the first team. Unlike Marshall, Wilson's playing time was infrequent in recent years; he played in four regular-season games in each of the 2007 and 2008 campaigns while making a transition from safety to cornerback last year.
Appropriately, this summer marks Wilson's big moment, just as it does Marshall's, but for different reasons. While Marshall has established himself through experience as a solid NFL cornerback, Wilson is just now receiving the chance.
"Every play that I go out there for is the most important juncture (of my career)," Wilson said during OTAs. "I go to sleep at night knowing that I have a lot of stuff to look at, coming from not really getting a lot of reps in the past. But it's a blessing. I love it."
Carolina's fourth veteran cornerback at training camp,
In addition to the ongoing progress of Marshall and Wilson in their new roles, the three rookies headed for Spartanburg promise to be worth watching over the next three weeks.
Second-round selection Sherrod Martin worked exclusively at cornerback during OTAs, but he played safety at Troy. It's the reverse transition to the one
"I think I'm adapting pretty well; I can always get better," Martin said during OTAs. "Right now I have to focus more on the little things at cornerback. Right now it's more technique and fundamentals to help me on down the line. I've got to be like a detective out there. Every little thing counts.
"Right now playing cornerback it is just being able to adapt and being athletic enough and being able to get the job done."
At 6-foot-1, Martin has five inches on his fellow cornerback draftee, seventh-rounder Captain Munnerlyn. The South Carolina product's first, best chance to make an impact may rest on punt and kickoff returns; he averaged 22.8 yards on 33 kickoff returns and 7.6 yards on 37 punt returns last season, scoring on an 84-yard punt runback and an 81-yard return of a blocked field goal.
Undrafted rookie
