Zach Roberts· Aug 28, 2026
Previewing the Panthers' preseason finale, Roberts predicts which receivers make the 53-man roster (McMillan, Coker, Legette and Tremayne easily; Metchie possibly cut), expects AJ Dillon to make the roster, doubts both Aaron Hall and Elijah Garcia stick, and suggests Ja'Tavion Sanders could be traded.
“John Metchie may be the odd man out, but Ja'seem Reed needs a good showing after getting hurt, too.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
8 checkable claims — 8 roster spot calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 9 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
7 of 8 have settled so far, averaging 85.7 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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Who this take is about
8 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Roster Spot CallsJalen CokerCarolina PanthersAug 28, 2026
Jalen Coker to make the roster
“We expect Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and Brycen Tremayne to make it easily.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CAR
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 62f1911a-4da3-42a7-8f70-a54154f30cdd
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsAJ DillonCarolina PanthersAug 28, 2026
AJ Dillon to make the roster
“We expect AJ Dillon to make the roster”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CAR
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 024721c6-f7c3-43d6-abdb-de82ad8b0a5c
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsXavier LegetteCarolina PanthersAug 28, 2026
Xavier Legette to make the roster
“We expect Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and Brycen Tremayne to make it easily.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CAR
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 4d3bd04b-7163-47a0-bea7-f94a274b773b
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Brycen Tremayne to make the roster
“We expect Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and Brycen Tremayne to make it easily.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CAR
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 6ab729d5-d8de-4d4c-a02a-a33296dae0a5
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Princely Umanmielen to make the roster
“He's in no danger of being cut, but the second-year edge could force the Panthers to make a tough decision”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-200 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CAR
- skill:
- -200
- player:
- 9778b7ef-0ed9-4d5a-b23b-c54611eb5044
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he does not make the 53
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Tetairoa McMillan to make the roster
“We expect Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and Brycen Tremayne to make it easily.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CAR
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 8f2cb2d1-cc42-4840-b492-8081eeafb406
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
John Metchie III to make the roster
“It is unlikely all three of these wideouts make the team. John Metchie may be the odd man out”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- CAR
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 6bf7fcf9-3ef8-4203-a9cc-09498a79d6cf
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsJimmy Horn Jr.Carolina PanthersAug 28, 2026
Jimmy Horn Jr. to make the roster
“Jimmy Horn seems the safest, but things can change quickly.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- AJ HawkGame Outcome Picks · Carolina PanthersMiss · 0AJ Hawk picked the Ravens over the Colts, Carolina to beat Chicago outright, the Bills at Houston, the Bengals over Tampa Bay, the Titans over the Jets, the Raiders over Miami, the Packers at Minnesota and the Cowboys over the Giants.
- Brady QuinnGame Outcome Picks · Carolina PanthersMiss · 0In the show's Week 1 picks-against-the-spread segment, Quinn took the Steelers over the Falcons, the Panthers at home over the Bears, the Bengals over the Buccaneers, the Texans at home over the Bills, and the Cowboys on the road over the Giants.
- Tyler SullivanGame Outcome Picks · Carolina PanthersMiss · 0An unsigned CBS Sports piece flags five Week 1 underdogs as upset candidates: the 49ers over the Rams in Melbourne, the Texans over the Bills, the Panthers over the Bears, the Jets over the Titans, and the Broncos over the Chiefs on Monday night.
- John PluymGame Outcome Picks · Carolina PanthersMiss · 0Pluym's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
- Nathan JahnkeRoster Spot Calls · Feleipe FranksHit · 100An unsigned PFF preseason recap makes numerous depth-chart, roster and usage projections across the league, based on Week 3 preseason playing time — including Roman Wilson winning Pittsburgh's third receiver job, Luke McCaffrey's roster spot being in danger, Charlie Kolar as the Chargers' top tight end, and Kendre Miller as the Saints' RB2.
- Nathan JahnkeRoster Spot Calls · Feleipe FranksHit · 100PFF's preseason fantasy recap makes a series of depth-chart, roster and usage projections based on final-week preseason snap counts, including Ja'Kobi Lane locking down the Ravens' third receiver role, Luke McCaffrey's roster spot being in danger, Kyle Pitts facing reduced 12-personnel usage, Kendre Miller as the Saints' RB2 and Emmett Johnson as the Chiefs' backup running back.
More roster spot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- John ShipleyRoster Spot Calls · Jack KiserMiss · 0Shipley projects a full 16-player (plus one international/exemption spot) Jaguars practice squad for 2026, naming specific players at each position he expects to land there.
- Cody RourkeRoster Spot Calls · Mitchell FraboniMiss · 0Rourke names the Ravens as the bounce-back team most likely to be dangerous in the AFC again, and says Houston's defense alone should carry the Texans into the postseason. He also expects long snapper Mitchell Fraboni to be one of Denver's practice-squad elevations for the Chiefs game, and slots Pat Bryant as Denver's third receiver behind Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle.
- Sayre BedingerRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeMiss · 0Benninger expects Houston's elite defense to make them either a division winner or a wild card team, thinks Marvin Mims was trending toward being Denver's fourth receiver rather than just the return man, and figures Adam Prentice will be the Broncos' other practice-squad call-up.
- Bob MorrisRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeHit · 100Morris predicts Jarrett Stidham holds the backup QB job behind Bo Nix, Adam Prentice makes the 53-man roster as the fullback/fourth back, and Lucas Krull gets cut.
- Erick TrickelRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeHit · 100After the Broncos' preseason opener, Trickel argued fullback Adam Prentice has shown enough value to earn a spot on the 53-man roster ahead of the team's fourth running back options (Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, Cody Schrader).
- Nick ShookRoster Spot Calls · Aaron DonaldHit · 100Shook unveiled his first NFL power rankings of the year, putting the Rams first, the Broncos second and the defending champion Seahawks only third, with the Dolphins last.