Taylor was not able to regain his starting job after the

Welcome back to the 2018 edition of Step UP or Step OUT https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/David-Mayo-Jersey , a series on CSR that is intended to look at players who are playing well and highlight a few that need to step their game up. Think of it as a heat index for the Carolina Panthers; guys who are playing well are stepping up and those who aren’t need to improve their game or. . . step out.This week we’ll look at a bunch of guys that despite the team losing, played very well against the Detroit Lions. With the Seattle Seahawks up next, they’ll need help from some of their friends, especially the ones who are steppin’ out, in order to secure a victory.Steppin’ UPCam Newton“Drip” Level: The pink ooze river beneath New York City in Ghostbusters 2While no one is going to call this a signature game, Cam did about a well as any quarterback could be expected to given the amount of pressure he was under. He also wasn’t helped at all by the amount of drops clanging off the hands of Devin Funchess. The Panthers should and could have won this game on so many levels, but Cam certainly did his part to try and make that happen, leading yet another late fourth quarter comeback that just wasn’t enough in the end.Curtis SamuelHeat Rating: Some piping hot Thanksgiving day macaroni and cheeseIt’s just not a fun game anymore without Curtis Samuel making at least one play showing why he needs as much playing time as possible. In this game, it was a very nice touchdown reception at a crucial time, as well as several more catches of a more routine nature. He’s a huge weapon with the ball in his hands, and its obvious that he has a bright future ahead of him.Yeah https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/Devin-Funchess-Jersey , the Tweet is in French. I know.D.J. MooreHeat Rating: Steaming hot apple pieWe’ve already talked about Curtis Samuel, now let’s talk about another great young playmaker the Panthers are lucky to have on their roster. D.J. Moore got off to a slow start this season, but quickly started making some of those eye popping dynamic plays that made him a stand out star at Maryland. He’s incredible after the catch, and certainly plays a lot larger than he actually is, routinely pushing through contact to gain extra yards.Steppin’ OUTGraham GanoCold Rating: Vanilla Ice Cream that’s been in there since last ThanksgivingWhat an awful kicking performance. An extra point and a field goal shorter than an extra point, both missed. It also led to the ill-fated two point try near the end of the game, which they probably should have let Gano try anyway, but he only has himself to blame for not getting to attempt it. Graham has missed an extra point or two, but his field goal streak heading into this game was pretty spectacular. Hopefully this was just a one week case of the yips.Chris ClarkCold Rating: The turkey you took out way way too late to thaw properlyIt was another bad game from Clark, and at this point it is becoming a significant pattern. He allowed two of the three sacks on the day (the third was on Cam), and a couple more pressures to boot. No surprise answers here at the left tackle position https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/Mario-Addison-Jersey , and as usual, the team is going to have to select one in the draft to hopefully fix the issue long term. Matt Kalil will provide a very mild amount of relief when returns from injury, but obviously is not the answer.Devin FunchessCold Rating: Clearly dipped his hands in liquid nitrogen before the gameIt’s pretty clear why Devin is on the list this week. So many drops, costing this team first downs or points on the board. He has been prone to a drop or two here and there over the course of his career, but this was probably the worst streak that I can remember. If he plans on securing a decent contract at the end of the season, he has to show he can be a reliable pass catching target, because he’s more of a possession receiver than anything. The Los Angeles Chargers didn't have many glaring offseason needs but upgrading the linebacking unit was at the top of the list.They took a step toward doing that Wednesday as the NFL's free agency period began, signing Thomas Davis to a two-year contact. The team also signed quarterback Tyrod Taylor and re-signed defensive tackle Brandon Mebane to two-year deals.Davis comes to the Chargers after spending his entire 14-year career with Carolina, where he was the Panthers' career leader in tackles (1,077). He will enter the season second among active NFL players in tackles.Davis finished second last season with 79 tackles in 12 games. He missed the first four games while under suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing supplements.Davis' addition gives the Chargers experience and an effective run stopper. Denzel Perryman, Jatavis Brown and Kyzir White combined to start 25 games but ended up on injured reserve. Perryman Marquis Haynes Jersey , who led the team in tackles at the time of his injury, was the team's most effective run stopper the first half of the season. He was due to become a free agent but re-signed with the team on March 9.The Chargers struggled to stop the run late last season. They contained Baltimore in the AFC wild-card round by going with eight defensive backs but allowed 155 yards in a loss to New England in the divisional round.Taylor gives the Chargers an experienced backup to Rivers, who has started 208 consecutive games and is tied with Peyton Manning for the third-longest streak in NFL history by a QB.Taylor has started 46 games during his eight-year career with Baltimore, Buffalo and Cleveland. He started the first three games last season for the Browns before suffering a concussion and back injury against the New York Jets. Taylor was not able to regain his starting job after the emergence of Baker Mayfield.The signing reunites Taylor with Chargers coach Anthony Lynn, who was a Buffalo assistant for three seasons and the offensive coordinator in 2016. Los Angeles also still has Cardale Jones on the roster.Mebane, who will be going into his 13th NFL season and fourth with the Chargers, started 12 games last season and had 53 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack. He missed four games to help care for his newborn daughter, who died at seven weeks due to a defective heart condition.His 57 tackles for loss are the highest among active nose tackles.