Carolina
Panthers
2018 Record: (7-9) 3rd NFC South
2018 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 23.5 (15th)
Yards: 373.2 (10th)
Pass Yards: 239.8 (16th)
Rush Yards: 133.5 (4th)
Defense
Points: 23.9 (19th)
Yards: 353.2 (15th)
Pass Yards: 240.4 (18th)
Rush Yards: 112.8 (12th)
Entering the 2018 season, the Carolina Panthers looked
like a group ready to turn the corner and once again contend in winning the
ultra-competitive NFC South, but as the year rolled forward, those aspirations
didn’t materialize.
Before the season began, (heading back to training
camp), Coach Rivera provided a full endorsement to his second year running back
Christian McCaffrey, indicating a full on workhorse role would be on the
agenda. Like many, we scoffed at the notion believing his light, smaller
stature wouldn’t be able to endure the punishment opposing defenders would
provide over the course of a sixteen game slate. Suffice it to say; while we
are great supporters of McCaffrey, we were pleasantly surprised to witness the
pure dominance he was able to muster.
Along with Cam Newton, McCaffrey provided another
level to this offense that became very powerful and a nightmare to contain.
Through the first nine weeks of the season, Carolina proved they were a force
housing a record of 6-2 and keeping pace with the mighty New Orleans Saints.
The turning point in our eyes came in week 10 where Carolina was absolutely
dismantled at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers in primetime. It was clear
that Newton wasn’t playing to his regular levels while possibly hiding an
injury that occurred early in the night.
After being embarrassed on a national stage, the
Panthers allowed the wheels to completely fall off losing 6 of the last 7 games
they had remaining on their schedule. What made matters worse, was that
majority of those losses came to clubs that Carolina definitely should’ve been
able to control. With one last ditch effort back in week 15 to potentially save
their campaign, it was clear that Cam Newton couldn’t throw the ball with any force
or accuracy, showing signs that his shoulder was in severe pain.
With nothing left to play for, Newton was held out for
the final two games resulting in the Panthers having a lost season with a
record of 7-9 while missing the post season.
2019
Offseason WorkBook:
The
Coaching Staff
While change over for a coaching group that was only
able to generate seven wins this past season looks to be a formality, rumor has
it that slight change over will occur to specialty coaching positions only.
The same cast of characters will be returning thus far
with exception of one large change. Coach Rivera will handle the play calling
duties on the defensive side of the ball to try and correct the inadequacies
left behind when Sean McDermott took his talents to Buffalo.
All-in-all, this staff will be on a very short leash
in 2019 if they don’t correct the situation and get this team back to the
playoffs.
The
Offense
Offensively, this team turned a giant corner in our
mind proving that McCaffrey can be trusted and utilized appropriately to be the
vocal point of this unit. Feeding the young man to the tune of 219 carries and
adding a whopping 107 receptions for nearly 2000 all-purpose yards, leaves us
licking our chops at the potential this offense could become with additional
support.
While Cam Newton’s season was on par with his career
averages, the most interesting statistical achievement came in the form of his
completion percentage. Under the offensive system led by Norv Turner, Newton
was able to hit new highs, nearly hitting 70% in pass completions (67.9%). When
you look back at the previous seven years of Newton’s career, his average was
sitting at a grim 58.5% - like we said, it’s a colossal improvement.
As impressive as that stat really is, it’s no
coincidence that Turner harnessed his coaching system to employ more short
passes to help Cam realize those numbers. Typically Turner has favored taking
deep shots, but in this case it was clear this was the guiding principle.
Continuing to look at this roster, many aspects do
provide encouraging outlooks for the upcoming season, but one aspect we fully
expect an upgrade on is the receiving core. As rookie DJ Moore showed good
progression in his first NFL season, it is unclear if he’ll be able to man the
number one position consistently throughout his career. While that surely isn’t
out of the question, the Panthers should be in the market to upgrade, with rumors
that the team will allow Devin Funchess to walk in free agency. Imagine how
good this group would look with a true number one target manning the outside, with
Moore and Samuel rounding out the corps - not too shabby.
The season outlook remains murky to this point, as Cam
Newton recovers from offseason shoulder surgery which could impact the start of
the year. All indications are pointing to a full recovery, but it is definitely
something to keep a close eye on.
The
Defense
Defensively, the Panthers still house a group that
look extremely impressive on paper, but found ways to grossly underachieve this
past season.
With this unit still being led by all world line
backer Luke Kuechly, the rise back to domination should all but be a formality
as the Carolina brain trust continues to tinker adding depth to proper
positions. The defensive line lost seasoned veteran and future hall of famer
Julius Peppers to retirement a couple weeks ago leaving opportunity to fill his
role with younger talent. While the D-Line as a whole is a sound group,
improvements can be had to increase the productivity.
The line backing group has been regarded as one of the
best in the entire league, with the aforementioned star Luke Kuechly being
front and center. His teammates Shaq Thompson and Thomas Davis have been the
perfect complement allowing Luke to roam free and dissect opposing offenses. Carolina
may be moving on from Davis this offseason (free agent) which could leave a
gigantic hole in that tandem. This group was the driving force of this defense
in the past and will have to raise their level of play if Davis is sent
packing.
One aspect of this unit that we still have an uneven
outlook on is the Panthers secondary. This group as a whole could use a talent
infusion like no other. It’s not to suggest that this group doesn’t possess capacity,
but the overall shutdown corner is truly missing from this group. Bradberry and
Munnerlyn would be exceptional depth pieces if they could find a true difference
maker at defensive back. It was far too often down the stretch that we witnessed
this unit get burned placing the offense in situations to continuously catch
up.
This group could return to top flight levels this season,
but correcting the inadequacies of this side will be paramount.
Team
Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
Many things jump off the paper as huge issues for the
Panthers, starting with the large list of free agents they must contend with.
Having 27 players looking for new deals this offseason with limited cap space,
getting creative will be at the forefront.
It’s no surprise to us that Thomas Davis and Ryan
Kalil haven’t seen a lot of buzz in media circles suggesting a return was on
the docket. With both hitting their mid-30’s and earning a whopping 15 million
last year between the two, it’s a no brainer to see them hit the open market.
Devin Funchess is another player that may have priced his way out of town believing
he could fetch far more in free agency. While the remaining players on this
list seem to be of the depth variety, Taylor Heinicke, David Mayo, and Damiere
Byrd have the best shot at finding their way back on this roster in 2019.
As the Panthers continue to review the roster and
decide which direction they would like to move, having big dollars invested in many
players has left this team salary cap crisis. Currently Carolina sits with just
over 15 million (+$15,083,934) in positive cash flow, leaving many tough
choices undoubtedly coming.
Having already made one transaction signing safety
Eric Reid to a new extension, we fully expect general manager Marty Hurney to
clear funds while cutting talent off this roster.
While many of these choices would view as unpopular,
the business of the NFL is to remain competitive forcing management to make
those difficult decisions. Right off the bat, Mario Addison should be placed in
consideration as a player on the cut block with his near 10 million dollar
contract taking up 5.18% of the Panthers available cap. Releasing the big man
would only create 2.6 in dead money making this a potential sound move, but not
a certainty. Adding to that, cutting bait with receiver Torrey Smith is too a
very logical option creating an additional 5 million clear with no dead money
applied.
When you review the books further, Shaq Thompson is
another player that requires attention, with his handsome 9.3 million eating up
nearly 5% of the Panthers cap, Carolina should work out an extension to lower
that number as a top priority.
Carolina does find themselves in a difficult situation
this offseason, but could find solid avenues to gain cap space while removing
some dead weight. Marty Hurney will be a busy man this offseason.
The
NFL Draft
Looking at the prospects of this year’s potential draft
class for the Panthers, they currently sit with six picks on the books missing
their 7th round selection.
Having that 7-9 overall record was good enough to see
Carolina pick in the middle of the draft currently sitting with the 16th
overall spot in the first round. With little ammunition to assist in navigating
through this draft, trading down is always a positive especially when your roster
needs additional support.
Seeing the Panthers try and add more offensive help isn’t
out of the question, but we believe they will begin and end with adding more to
the defensive side.
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