Panthers’ secret weapon, Jarius Wright, thrives when Cam Newton needs him the most

Peel back the curtain on some of the most notable moments of this young Carolina Panthers season, and there’s a constant:

Cam Newton’s first touchdown run of the season. Damontae Kazee’s vicious hit on Newton as he slid to the ground. C.J. Anderson’s drop-turned-interception in Atlanta. D.J. Moore’s first-ever reception, a 51-yard bomb in a comeback bid against the Falcons. And of course, Christian McCaffrey’s 45-yard run against Cincinnati that epitomized his career-best game.

All huge, consequential plays ... and absolutely no mention of the man linked to them all.

Wide receiver Jarius Wright.

Now understand — Wright, in his seventh NFL season and first with Carolina, has never been a player obsessed with statistics or the limelight. He has never recorded more than 600 yards or three touchdowns in any of his seven years. And even during the Panthers’ offseason offensive overhaul, Wright’s name was never mentioned in the same breath as Torrey Smith, Anderson or Moore, the team’s first-round draft pick.

And yet, when Newton and this Panthers offense have most needed someone to make a play, especially on third down, Wright has been the man they turn to.

Part of that is a product of Greg Olsen’s absence and the need for a reliable third-down target while Newton’s favorite weapon rehabilitates his fractured right foot.

But with Olsen practicing this week and his return imminent, it’s worth noting why else Wright has stood out in an offense chock-full of weapons — and why, even once Olsen returns, that should continue.

Or, in other words, how he’s developed into Carolina’s secret weapon.

“With me,” Wright said, “it’s just whatever the team needs done.”

‘Right place at the right time’

After six up-and-down years in Minnesota, Wright got a change of scenery this spring when he signed a three-year deal to join the Panthers.

Some of the credit for that signing should go to Norv Turner, Wright’s former offensive coordinator with the Vikings who joined Carolina in the same role this offseason.

“I really didn’t think too much about it,” Wright said of the decision to come to Charlotte. “I know how I was used in the past and I know how Norv has used me. They told me I was going to come here, I was going to get a chance to play and help this team win, and that was enough to get me here.”

In Minnesota, Turner utilized Wright — who at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds is one of Carolina’s smaller receivers — primarily in the slot. And with Devin Funchess, Smith and Moore mostly occupying the outside in the team’s current offense, Wright’s slot role has carried over to his new team — and with that, his third-down proficiency.

Wright has nine catches this season for 92 yards and one touchdown, which may not seem like much, but it’s when he’s getting those targets that makes the difference. Four of his nine receptions have been converted third down catches, with one of those going for a touchdown.

Maybe more surprising: Wright single-handedly has almost a third of the team’s 15 third-down conversions.

“He’s super, super, super reliable on third down since we’ve been without (Greg) Olsen for a few games,” Anderson said of Wright. “With (Christian) and Cam, you can get overcrowded by other people on the team, but he knows his role and he’s effective in that.”

Consider Newton’s first touchdown run this season, a relatively normal score from 4 yards out. If not for Wright’s third-down conversion four plays earlier, that touchdown never happens — it’s another stymied drive and settling for a field goal. Instead, that conversion kept the possession alive, and ultimately gave Carolina the score — and the margin — it needed to win that game.

Wright didn’t make an acrobatic, one-handed grab with just his fingers in that situation. Nothing flashy. But he made the play that needed to be made in that moment, no matter how mundane it might seem.

“On third downs, I’ve just got to make the most of every opportunity,” Wright said. “Third down, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time.”

‘I always put myself second’

Newton’s first touchdown run is hardly the only example of Wright’s playmaking ability.

When Newton got hit by Kazee midway through the Atlanta game, there was a palpable sense of momentum in the stadium, a need to score to vindicate that hit. And yet on third down and goal, the team needed someone to step up.

Enter Wright, who nabbed his only touchdown so far this year.

“He understands football,” Newton said of Wright this week. “I know we’re all football players, but it takes a different knack to understand what the offense is trying to do.

Or what about later that game, when Newton’s pass bounced off Anderson’s hands and was intercepted? Guess who chased down the Falcons defender and made the tackle?

Or when he gained 22 yards on first down later that game to set up Moore’s long touchdown? Or his third-down catch on Carolina’s first scoring drive against Cincinnati, which allowed McCaffrey to break off a 45-yarder three plays later?

They’re not the moments that make headlines, but they do make scoring drives happen.

And in that regard, Wright knows how valuable he is to this team.

“I do, I take a lot of pride in it,” Wright said of his third-down prowess. “It’s either you get it, or we’re off the field. And it’s funny because most of those conversions end up leading to a touchdown or a field goal, but as you see and as you realize how important third down is, it makes you want to make that play that much more.”

Of course Wright, like any receiver, would love to see a steadier share of targets. With Olsen returning, that’s just another mouth for Turner to feed on offense.

But at the same time, with the way the offense has clicked in the past two games and given all the other talented targets at Newton’s disposal, Wright knows when he’ll have the opportunity to make the most impact.

“As a person, your first thought usually is a selfish thought. So I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t want the ball, because as a receiver, you’re supposed to want the ball every play,” Wright said. “I’m still that guy, but I’m a team player, too.

“I’m all about being a team player, I’m all about winning. Me and my personal goals, I always put myself second.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2018 at 9:27 AM.