For Panthers’ Ben Boulware, Thursday’s throwaway exhibition has to be showtime

For fans of most NFL teams, the last preseason game is an afterthought – a low-profile, bench-the-starters, no-one-should-have-to-pay-full-price-for-this glorified-scrimmage type of deal.

For Ben Boulware, though, this game is essential.

Boulware, a rookie linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, knows his fate with the team dangles by a thread that could be snipped at any time between now and Saturday at 4 p.m., when all NFL squads must slice their way from 90 players down to the regular-season limit of 53.

So Carolina’s fourth and final exhibition – against Pittsburgh, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Bank of America Stadium – means a lot to Boulware. For the undrafted free agent who was a key part of Clemson’s national championship team less than nine months ago, Thursday night could be a crossroads.

“I’m ready,” Boulware said. “I’m ready to make some plays and just keep my name out there.”

When asked about his chances to make the cut, Boulware said: “I feel good. I feel like I’m a trustworthy player, an accountable guy, and every time I’ve gotten in on defense or special teams, I’ve done my job.”

The reality of the situation, though, is that all of that might not be enough. Boulware is trying to crack the Carolina roster at the very place where it is the most loaded. Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis are the best linebacker tandem in the league, and there are a number of young, talented players who already have NFL experience not too far behind them.

Also, Boulware’s preseason so far has not offered much in the way of big plays. In fact, it has offered zero big plays. And zero official tackles.

This is common for rookies who weren’t drafted, although Boulware knows some fans don’t realize that.

Boulware is followed more closely than most undrafted free agents because he is a larger-than-life character who also grew up in South Carolina and starred at Clemson. He won the Jack Lambert Award as the nation’s top collegiate linebacker as a senior in 2016, and he was the defensive MVP of the national championship game when Clemson upset Alabama.

Boulware’s engaging personality also has won him fans. He sports a wild beard that would look at home on a lumberjack. He called himself “the hottest ugly guy on the team” earlier in August because of that beard.

So Thursday, for Boulware, needs to be showtime. “When it’s your time to shine, you need to shine,” he said.

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 5:32 PM.