CHARLOTTE — The Panthers have a real confidence that now-center Cade Mays and once-again starting right guard Chandler Zavala can cook.

Even though they haven't, you know, seen them cook.

Well, one of them, at least.

The Panthers are in the not-unusual place of turning to some backup offensive linemen, but they kept this group together on purpose for times like these. And because the nine guys on the offensive line have been together for a while, they also know each other's hidden talents, and quirks, and really everything about each other.

There are no secrets in that room, but there might be grudges.

"He's an aspiring chef. But he doesn't cook for us," Mays revealed of Zavala. "Like you should put that out there. It's crazy he doesn't cook for us. His dad's like a world renowned chef, and from what I've seen, he can throw down pretty good too."

So he won't cook for his fellow linemen?

"I wouldn't say he won't," Mays said. "But he hasn't. I've heard his Thanksgivings are off the chain, but this is what, his third year? So I'm 0-for-2 on Thanksgiving invites, but maybe we'll get lucky this year and get to try some of this food."

You can tell that this hits a nerve among a group of people who take their food seriously. Zavala's father, Demetrio Zavala, is a six-time "Chopped" champion on the Food Network. And yet, his son has never shared that gift with his teammates.

"It's selfish behavior," said veteran center Austin Corbett, still hurting from years of that slight, and the pain is obvious even though he was just placed on injured reserve a day ago.

"That's true, it is selfish," right tackle Taylor Moton added with a nod.

"We all assume he can cook," veteran lineman Brady Christensen pointed out. "I think deep down, he can't cook. That's why he hasn't fed us before, you know what I'm saying?

"So he's big on it, he talks a good game, but he hasn't delivered. Until he proves it, I figure he just can't cook."

"Well, Chan cooked for us in college," his former NC State teammate Ikem Ekwonu admitted. "So I did get a taste, but yeah, he's definitely dropped the ball a little bit there."

This is the kind of ribbing — even if there are no ribs — that is common in the offensive line room.

And at the risk of putting too fine a point on it, it's part of the reason no one is freaking out, even after putting a Pro Bowler in Robert Hunt on IR the same day as Corbett, and turning over 40 percent of offensive line in the first month of the season.

These guys not only know each other's games, they know each other.

Aside from busting Zavala's chops (lamb, or otherwise), they also know that Mays can step in and start a game in a pinch, as he did last year. He returned from a short stint on the Giants practice squad to start eight of the final nine games last year in relief of Corbett, including the time when quarterback Bryce Young and the offense were playing their best ball.

"I feel like if you know Cade, you know that he's an expert hunter," Ekwonu noted. "But I thought the general public might not know that about him. I've seen the videos and pictures, he definitely likes to hunt, and become one with nature."

This is true. Mays is an avid turkey hunter, with a goal to bag a bird in every state that has turkeys (49 total, since they don't have them in Alaska, for reasons he can describe in very specific detail). He's up to 18 states now, having added 11 in the past year, with trips west to Wyoming and Idaho and north to Maine and Vermont, among others.

But perhaps because he has a year of seniority here and more starting experience than Zavala, Mays doesn't take as much grief as the 2023 fourth-rounder.

Ekwonu said that aside from the (apparently) hidden culinary talents, Zavala has proved his athleticism in many ways.

"I feel like a lesser-known fact is, he's a pretty above-average pickleball player," Ekwonu said of his college teammate. "In my humble opinion, yes, I say above-average, creeping into elite territory in pickleball."

It's pointed out to Ekwonu that these are things you only learn about a man when you spend a lot of time around him.

"It truly is," he said with a laugh.

These guys are having a good time with this, as you can tell, and not tight about the current situation. That could have something to do with their bonds, but also because they've seen this lineup work.

The five in front of Young this week are the same from that Falcons game last January (along with left guard Damien Lewis and tackles Moton and Ekwonu), when Young played his best game as a pro. All the Panthers did that day was run for 155 yards and three touchdowns, including two from Young and an overtime game-winner from Miles Sanders. Young also completed 25-of-34 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, and wasn't sacked.

"To kind of have those guys step in and not just keep the standard up, but really succeed," Ekwonu said of what that game showed. "And I think it just goes to show the type of players that they are, to come in on short notice and have that kind of performance.

"One of the biggest reasons why the coaching staff feels comfortable bringing in everybody back from last year is because of that continuity, because of their ability to kind of step in when needed in any position."

When the topic turns to serious football, Mays goes back into football mode, since this is nothing new to him.

"We're in Week 3 now," he said. "Got a long season ahead of us, so we just kind of focus on that. I had plenty of reps during camp and you know OTAs and stuff, so it's just another day."

"Yeah, you've just got to be ready when your numbers go up," Zavala agreed. "And for them to trust me is a big thing. It was just a good thing just to finish strong as a team, but we've just got to pick up where we left off from there and just build off of it."

OK, those two answers were admittedly kind of boring and a little cliché. Let's get back to picking on Zavala, even though he's a kind soul who will go along with practically anything, from eating schnitzel to putting on lederhosen in Germany to announce a draft pick to doing yoga with goats.

"Ask him why he's never cooked for us?" Corbett chimed in.

"There's never been an ask," Zavala said, a little defensively if we're being honest. "That's the crazy part. No one's ever asked."

"What about just being a good person and offering?" Corbett replied.

At this point, Zavala shakes his head and smiles, and realizes this is likely an argument he can't win.

So someday, he's probably going to have to cook.

If it starts on Sunday, you feel like they'll give him a little leeway.