As the NFL offseason
is in full swing, it’s a perfect opportunity to evaluate where each team was in
2017, and where they plan to go in the New Year. Let’s begin the review of
the Carolina Panthers.
2017 Season Recap:
Coming into the season
expectations reined high for the 2017 edition of the Carolina Panthers. The
largest concern going into training camp was the overall health of their star -
Cam Newton, as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. Early through camp
it was clear Newton wasn’t at 100 percent, but was functioning and progressing
in the right direction. All the moves to correct this Panthers team for 2017
came with the distinct motivation of a disastrous 2016 season, where the
Panthers finished 6-10 and missed the playoffs concluding their Super Bowl loss
hangover of a year. General Manager Dave Gettleman got to work early,
understanding that Newton required more weapons at his disposal to become a
more feared and productive offensive unit. Losing speedster Ted Ginn to free
agency left a gaping hole in the explosive nature of a big play threat. Changes
needed to be made.
Entering the 2017 NFL
Draft, the Panthers held a top ten selection picking 8th overall.
Much speculation had Gettleman enamored with Stanford product Christian
McCaffrey. Low and behold, McCaffrey was their first selection instantly adding
super star potential to their offense. Not shying away from the glaring needs
of the offense, Gettleman drafted a Percy Harvin clone in former Ohio State
playmaker Curtis Samuel in the second round. On paper it seemed instantaneous
that Carolina had potentially solved their issues by adding two standouts to
help Cam distribute the ball to. While question marks surrounded the ability of
McCaffrey to successfully run between the tackles, no one doubted his ability
to create plays in the open field. The storyline rang true as the season wore
on showing a difficult task for the rookie to create much on the ground. The
coaching staff quickly adjusted and exploited his talents making him a primary
target in their weekly game plans. The same production couldn’t be said for
Curtis Samuel as he found himself behind the eight ball with lost time in camp
(injuries), and being buried on the depth chart as the season opened. Trying to
infuse Samuel into the offense as the season wore on was beginning to take
shape, until he was lost for the year and sent to injured reserve with an ankle
injury. Never the less, the Panthers surged through the season narrowly losing
out to the Saints for the division crown.
Starting the season
off with two straight wins against the 49ers and the Bills, Carolina dropped
their week 3 divisional matchup against the Saints which turned out to be
pivotal to the division trophy at the end of the year. Winners of their next
two against the Patriots and the Lions they dropped their next two to the
Eagles and the Bears. Entering week 8, the Panthers were barley over the .500
mark with a 4-3 record in what was shaping up to be the toughest division in
football. The realization from the Panthers brain trust envisioned not having
the cap room to pay for their former draft pick (Kelvin Benjamin) in 2018; they
choose to ship him to the Bills in exchange for a 3rd and 7th
round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Seemingly this trade invoked a spark of
enthusiasm as Coach Rivera and GM Dave Gettleman wanted to place more speed and
playmakers on the field. Answering the bell, Carolina ripped off three
consecutive victories against the Buccaneers, the Falcons, and the Dolphins.
Having their bye week and a much needed break in week 11, the Panthers
continued where they left off beating the Jets in a game they almost gave away.
Having three divisional contests in the last five weeks, while adding the
Packers and the Vikings to the mix, left the Carolina fan base sitting on edge.
Dropping their second game to the Saints in week 13 almost assured them of not
winning the NFC South in 2017. With the wildcard firmly in their grasp, the
Panthers disposed of the Vikings, Packers, and again the Buccaneers allowing
for a week 17 showdown with the Falcons with plenty on the line. Traveling to
Atlanta the Panthers left their A-game on the plane as they dropped a crucial
contest allowing the Falcons to enter the post season also.
Ending the year with
an 11-5 record setting up a home date with their rival – the Saints, whom
they’ve already lost to twice this season, set up for a fantastic matchup. New
Orleans started early taking a 21-9 lead into half time essentially dominating
play on both sides of the ball. As the game wore on, Cam Newton fought back throwing
a pass over the middle to rookie Christian McCaffrey and watched him gallop all
the way into the endzone for a 56 yard touchdown, bringing the Panthers within
five points of the lead. As the Saints attempted to run out the clock, Carolina
made a key stop at midfield to force a forth & two with two minutes left in
the game. Surprisingly Coach Payton decided to gamble and went for the victory
placing the ball in the hands of Drew Brees to finish the contest. To the
cheers of the Panther faithful, Brees rolled out to his right under direst
throwing an interception at the worst time. Carolina was back in business as
Cam took the field with just under two minutes remaining. Completing two big
passes, Newton had the Panthers with a first and ten on the edge of the Saints
redzone. The next three plays unfortunately for Carolina were executed with utter
failure, as Newton saw all three passes go incomplete with one flagged for
intentional grounding. With a forth and twenty three, Newton found himself
unprepared for the Saints blitz and was sacked to end their 2017 season. Though
the year ended before the Panthers would’ve hoped, in terms of getting back to
a successful winning formula, it could be viewed as positive.
2018 Offseason
Workbook:
Offseason Review:
As the Panthers
entered the offseason, the largest issue became the ownership of the team. The
minute Carolina was eliminated from the post season; the team was up for sale.
Current owner Jerry Richardson was and is under investigation for misconduct
relating to inappropriate actions to staff and team members. As soon as news
broke of his indiscretions, the forced exodus from the NFL ownership group
became a formality as there’s no room for individuals such as these in the
league. Not much traction has occurred with finding a new owner as only hand
full of businessmen have shown their interest.
Changes to the
coaching staff were somewhat extensive for the Panthers so far this offseason.
The Panthers again lost their defensive coordinator (Steve Wilks) this time to
a head coaching position with the Cardinals. Replacing Wilks to man the defense
is promoted defensive line coach Eric Washington. As the coaching shake up
continued for Carolina, they added former Oregon defensive coach Brady Hoke to
handle the defensive line while Steve Russ will handle the line backing core.
Offensively, the Panthers relieved Mike Shula of his duties and brought in long
time NFL Coach Norv Turner to become their new offensive coordinator. Norv’s
son Scott Turner received a promotion upon the arrival of his father to become
the Panthers quarterbacks coach after handling the role of offensive quality
control for Carolina. Not long after the season ended for the Panthers, long
time general manager Dave Gettleman was also relieved of his duties as Carolina
looked to move in another direction. While Gettleman found work early taking
over the same role with the New York Giants, the Panthers recently appointed
interim general manager Marty Hurney to handle the position on a full time
basis. With the facelift of personal now complete, Carolina can now focus on
adding to their squad in hopes to improve on a fantastic 11-5 2017 season.
As the new brain trust
begins the review of this roster, assisting the pass game should be a priority
while adding explosiveness to the run game to further take pressure off their
star quarterback Cam Newton. While the Panthers offense posted good numbers in
points scored ranking 12th overall (22.7 PPG), and achieved a
healthy 4th overall rank in total rushing yards (131.4 YPG), they
struggled in the pass game amassing the league’s 4th worst attack,
(192.3 YPG). Adding viable receiving talent to this squad would definitely
improve Newton’s ability to stay in the pocket and fire strikes all over the
field. While Devin Funchess could act as a solid number two option, he is not a
true top notch caliber player. Improvements on this side of the ball should be
where they begin this offseason.
Defensively, Carolina
was again a dominate unit behind the fantastic play of franchise line backer
Luke Kuechly. The Panthers front seven is without question one of the best in
the NFL with a line backing core that is arguably the best in the league. The
biggest concern is the lack of talent and depth on the defensive back end of
this unit. Heading into free agency and the NFL Draft, this should be another
position group GM Marty Hurney will ultimately have to address. It’s very clear
when reviewing the Panthers season film and looking at their statistics, they
ranked 11th in points allowed (20.4 PPG), 7th in total
yards allowed (317.1 YPG), and 3rd in rush yards allowed (88.1 YPG).
The achilles heel was obviously the secondary as they ranked 18th in
the league allowing teams to pick them apart in the pass game, (229.1 YPG).
This Panthers defense should remain the strength of this team as they correct
issues and add depth to improve.
Rostered Free Agents:
While Carolina isn’t
in immediate cap trouble, they still bolster a decent amount of space with just
over 15 million on the books to spend. The Panthers find themselves fortunate
with a small group of players on their free agent listing totaling eleven
without a current contract. The biggest name on the list is defensive tackle
Star Lotulelei. Completing his rookie contract and producing on the field, puts
him in the position for a handsome payday. His current market value rests in
the realm of 4 years at 33 million dollars, with an average annual salary of
8.4 million per year. Trying to resign one of the most important pieces on their
defense, it’s likely they’ll have to get creative in adding cap room. Other
notable free agents likely to resign are kicker Graham Gano and future Hall of
Famer adding depth on a minimum salary – Julius Peppers.
As the Panthers review
their current roster, cap savings can be found if they indeed intend to get
creative. Unlikely but viable, the option to release tight end Greg Olsen would
generate a healthy 6.7 million in cap space. Noting that Olsen was hurt for
most of the season and the Panthers still went 11-5, this could be a spot they
look to save money. Center Ryan Kalil is another unlikely but attractive cut
candidate as he would garner another 6.9 million in savings. Long time running
back Jonathan Stewart has likely played his last down in a Carolina uniform, as
releasing him would create another 3.7 million on the books. Defensive end
Charles Johnson though still productive and important to this unit could find
his way to the street as releasing him would also create 3.1 million in
savings. While Carolina is more than likely to keep most of these players
(except Jonathan Stewart), they do have a plethora of depth players that could
easily be released generating decent money to help their cap situation. With
virtually no dead cap on the books, it will be interesting to see how they
handle their roster.
NFL Draft:
The Panthers enjoy a
multitude of picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Holding a total of nine picks
with four in the top 88 selections, they could easily address some of their
roster issues. Holding the 24th overall pick, Carolina could go any
which way filling a wide receiver need or adding depth to their defense with a potential
to obtain a starting defensive back. With running back becoming a need once
they release Jonathan Stewart, we don’t foresee the Panthers spending another
first round selection on a runner in consecutive years. Holding three 7th
round picks, it would be smart for the Panthers to attempt shopping these late
selections to get back into the 4th round of the draft where they
currently hold no picks. With the wide receiver depth in this draft class the
Panthers should come out strong with offensive talent to help Cam Newton.
Overall for 2018:
Before they Panthers
get back on the field for OTA’s and training camp, a new offensive system will
have to be learned in hopes that Cam and company can take flight and pick up
where they left off. Norv Turner in some eyes has past his prime while never
really working with a running quarterback like Cam Newton. The transitional
period might be difficult to overcome to begin the season, but should be able
to work itself out as the year wears on. Provided the Panthers address their
running back situation to complement Christian McCaffrey, there should be many
simple plays to get this offense moving. Coach Rivera will again have this
defense flying high and dominating which will be ever important playing in
arguably the best division in football.
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