Evaluating the Panthers’ options to return kicks in 2020. Carolina may get creative
Consistency, or a lack thereof, plagued the Panthers’ ability to get anything going in their return game last year. Dropped balls and missed opportunities were far too frequent.
Missed opportunities could describe plenty of Carolina’s special teams plays in 2019, especially in the second half of the season once everything started to go downhill.
Now with a new coaching staff and revamped roster in place, the Panthers have taken the steps to stabilizing their return game, even if that means potentially getting creative.
The Panthers signed former South Carolina wide receiver Pharoh Cooper this offseason. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and named First Team All-Pro for his return abilities in 2017 with the Rams, but has bounced between teams since, including spending most of last year with the Cardinals.
While Cooper has not come close to repeating the success he had in 2017, an ankle injury and changing environments have played a role. Carolina can use him as both a kick and punt returner, but he’s not the Panthers’ only option.
DeAndrew White has returned to the roster after finishing last season with 10 kick returns and will get an opportunity in training camp, and there are some more notable names the Panthers are at least considering.
“I think (Cooper is) proven, he’s shown himself, obviously, he’s a talented returner and receiver, right, and so we have him back there,” Panthers special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn said this week. “We (also) have other guys that can go. I mean we have DJ Moore (who) can still return, Christian McCaffrey can return. We got guys, right, we got guys around. We got young guys that can return, so it’ll be that’s another exciting part is all these returners have capabilities and talent to do it.”
Moore assisted on punt returns a bit toward the end of last season, but ideally that’s not a role a team would like to see their top receiver in. But McCaffey? The highest-paid running back in the NFL? Why would he go back there and increase the risk of serious injury?
Keep in mind that Blackburn mentioning the running back as a potential contributor on special teams isn’t the first time that’s been thrown out this offseason.
Prior to the draft and McCaffrey’s four-year extension, coach Matt Rhule also brought up his potential contributions on special teams as an asset.
“To label (McCaffrey), I feel that’s not respectful to him, I mean he’s a tailback/wideout, he can do it all, returner,” Rhule said. “I’m anxious to get him out there, I’m anxious to, you know, continue to build this thing around him. I think he’s going to be a special player for us.”
The Panthers want to use the All Pro back in a variety of ways this fall. That has been made clear time and time again and is a significant part of why he was given the $64 million deal. As seen by his 1,000 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards in 2019, he’s versatile. McCaffrey returned some kicks during his 2017 rookie season, appearing in 10.9 percent of special teams snaps, but that role became non-existent over the last two years.
Will McCaffrey get significant special teams snaps? No, but it’s clearly something on the team’s mind and a player they plan to get creative with.
The team will be cautious about not overusing him, but is clearly looking for special situations that set up for a player with his unique abilities. The Panthers will have plenty of options, including the rest of the new wide receiver group, and all of training camp and whatever the preseason ends up looking like to figure out what combination works best.
— Alaina Getzenberg
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