AP File Photo: Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton throws a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

By Jeremy Harness

 SANTA CLARA–The regular season is only days away, and the 49ers will have a stiff test right out of the gate.

 The Carolina Panthers figure to have a dynamic offense this season, particularly after drafting multi-faceted running back Christian McCaffrey out of Stanford in the first round. To make things more daunting for the 49ers is the fact that Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who had surgery on his throwing shoulder in the offseason, is expected to play Sunday.

 Not only does he have Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olson to throw to, but he also has budding star wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin as well, and when you put all of this together, it means that the 49ers’ young defense will have all it can handle, to say the very least.

 Carolina opens up as five-point favorites over the 49ers, with the over/under reportedly listed as 48 points at press time.

 In the meantime, the 49ers have one fewer recognizable name on the roster this year. In order to trim the roster to the league-mandated 53 players, the team cut receiver Jeremy Kerley, who led the 49ers in receptions in 2016.

 On Tuesday, the New York Jets, Kerley’s original NFL team, signed him to a one-year contract.

 There will be a new face at tight end as well. The 49ers traded last year’s starter, Vance McDonald to the Pittsburgh Steelers, meaning that George Kittle, who first impressed the team’s coaching staff in the second preseason game against Denver with a third-quarter touchdown catch-and-run, is listed as starter on the team’s Week 1 depth chart.

The 49ers will see its younger, revamped, Robert Saleh-led defense in an obviously more-extended way on Sunday, and given the weaponry that Carolina possesses on offense, that should make for a very interesting matchup.