5 questions the Carolina Panthers must answer once OTAs finally begin — whenever that is
Ordinarily around this time of year, voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) would be ongoing and there would be stories and updates about how on-field work has been going for the Panthers.
Instead, offseason programs have been restricted to virtual meetings because of regulations put in place due to COVID-19. Teams around the NFL have to wait to step onto the same field together, although some Carolina teammates have gotten together for group workouts recently, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with wide receivers Seth Roberts and Robby Anderson.
With the turnover the Panthers experienced this offseason, from the coaching staff to the roster, there are plenty of unknowns that need to be answered before the regular season begins (whenever that may be). The biggest questions will likely not be answered until training camp, but what are some of the story lines that would be dominating during traditional OTAs?
Here’s a look at some questions Carolina will address whenever on-field work begins:
Who will be the backup quarterback?
The Panthers brought in Teddy Bridgewater to be their starting quarterback with his three-year, $63 million contract.
But after him, how do things stack? The battle between P.J. Walker and Will Grier for the job behind Bridgewater is interesting partly due to the fact Grier is the lone holdover in the quarterback room from last year.
Does Walker have an edge after spending four years with Rhule and some of the coaching staff at Temple? Can Grier prove he deserves a shot after losing the job to Kyle Allen last offseason?
Grier started two NFL games at the end of last year, but completed just 53.8% of his passes for zero touchdowns and four interceptions behind a banged up offensive line, in addition to leaving the final game of the season early due to injury.
Walker has yet to play in an NFL regular season game, but spent two years on and off the Colts’ practice squad. He shined during the five-game XFL season this year and would likely have been the league’s MVP had it not shut down early due to the pandemic.
Both quarterbacks are learning the new offense under coordinator Joe Brady, they are starting in somewhat of a similar place. But with the increased interest in Walker following his XFL performance, and the coaching staff’s experience with him combined with the limited offseason practice time, it could be Walker’s job to lose.
What’s going on at guard?
After moving on from last year’s two starting offensive guards, Trai Turner and Greg Van Roten, this offseason, the Panthers brought in a variety of players that could temporarily fill those holes. Carolina didn’t address the offensive line in the draft, taking seven defensive players, but did sign a couple of veteran guards to one-year deals, John Miller and Michael Schofield.
There will be a competition for the starting roles, especially with both players on such short-term deals. Dennis Daley, among other returning players, will have a shot at it. Another guard could be brought in down the road to strengthen the competition.
With the team going all defense in the draft and not signing a dominant free agent, the Panthers are left to figure out what may end being a temporary solution at guard.
Is there enough depth at cornerback and tight end?
Options at corner are limited. The Panthers had a major hole at the position after cornerback James Bradberry left for the Giants in free agency and they addressed his absence by drafting Troy Pride Jr. out of Notre Dame.
However, there is still limited depth at the position and Carolina only has one player with four or more years of experience on the roster (Corn Elder).
Donte Jackson will surely be one of the starters, but will Pride Jr. be in a position to start for the entirety of the season? It is likely that the Panthers bring in a veteran corner during the offseason, but overall they will be relying on a young defensive backfield.
When it comes to tight end, the Panthers never added someone to replace Greg Olsen outside of a couple undrafted free agents, which is why depth at the position comes into question. It appears that Ian Thomas is going to have a big opportunity to prove he deserves the job long-term with no other clear starters on the roster and not much left in the free-agent market.
Is everyone healthy for the offseason programs and training camp?
Two starters from last season, kicker Graham Gano and defensive tackle Kawann Short, are returning from season-ending surgeries. Their health is not so much in question, but each of their returns will make an impact.
Short had shoulder surgery in October and was a much-missed presence on the defensive line last season. His health has improved and is expected to be ready to start in the fall.
“I’m about seven months out (from surgery). It’s an eight-month process. I feel about 75 to 80 percent right now,” Short said earlier this month on Panthers.com. “The doctor kind of said usually a good turnaround is about seven-and-a-half (months). So I feel pretty good. I’ve been lifting heavy. Now it’s just trying to get that range of motion back.”
Short’s role will be slightly different this year as he will have to take on more of a leadership role as the Panthers’ defensive line has gotten much younger this offseason.
On the other hand, Gano will be entering somewhat of a kicking competition with second-year player Joey Slye. Slye took over after Gano was placed on injured reserve with a left knee injury that he eventually had surgery on. Even though Slye had an up-and-down year in 2019, Gano has to show he can return to form and prove to the new coaches (although special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn remained on staff) that he deserves to keep the job he has held since 2012.
How is the new coaching staff doing?
There’s no simple answer, but with 2020 being the first year of this Panthers staff (featuring multiple coaches with limited NFL experience) how the team conducts practices and works together with the players is important.
First impressions are key and the team has had to experience that mostly through their computers up to this point. The way they learn and grow together once everyone does get on the field will be crucial, especially with the limited time that they will have. There are multiple rookies that will be expected to start in 2020, while also learning the playbook alongside the rest of the team. How the coaching staff integrates those new players and the on-field time they get prior to the season will be worth watching.
Another thing to keep in mind: In each of Matt Rhule’s previous stops at Temple and Baylor, the programs have experienced difficult first seasons with not a lot of winning, but the players learned to believe in what he was teaching and the vision he had for the team. Rhule and the rest of coaching staff will need to establish that same level of trust from the Panthers’ players.
