‘The sky’s the limit’: Panthers’ speed creates big expectations for 2020 season
When asked about his role in the Panthers’ new offense under coordinator Joe Brady, a big smile spread across Curtis Samuel’s face.
“I’m not gonna really get into the details and spoil it and give people hints of what’s to come,” Samuel said while grinning.
After numerous reports of teams calling the Panthers with interest in trading for Samuel during the offseason, the wide receiver plans on having a big season ahead with the Panthers on the last year of his rookie deal.
Carolina improved at the wide receiver position over the offseason, adding deep threat Robby Anderson, who played under Matt Rhule at Temple. Along with DJ Moore, who became the first Panthers wide receiver with 1,000-plus receiving yards in a season since 2014 last year, the receiver group is one of the strongest positions on the roster, especially when taking speed into account.
Samuel, a former Ohio State receiver, has not yet flourished like he did in college. He is coming off a career-high 757 scrimmage yards last year, but never fully got going in 2019 and his skills as receiver and runner haven’t translated to the NFL level to the same extent (his finished with 771 rushing yards and 865 receiving yards his junior year). It will take the Panthers utilizing Samuel in the best ways possible for this group to truly emerge when compared to the top wide receivers in the NFC South.
“I think the thing that intrigues us about Curtis is obviously he has tremendously deep-play ability. He gets behind people,” Rhule said in a press conference last month. “But he’s also so versatile. We see him as a guy that can be a running back. We see him as a guy that can be a slot. We see him as a guy that can be an outside receiver. He brings, to me, kind of going back to his days at Ohio State, a sense of versatility that we think can be fun.”
Speed is not an issue for this wide receiver group. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will have plenty of opportunities to prove his downfield prowess with this group. Per NFL.com, the Panthers are projected to be the fourth-fastest team in the league in 11-personnel based on 40-yard dash times. Anderson was the fourth-fastest wide receiver last year based on average top speed, per NFL’s NextGen Stats.
Samuel is often known for his speed. Moore shared last week that he beleives of the three receivers, he is the slowest, which truly puts things in perspective (he ran 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2018).
“Having (speed) as one of my biggest attributes allows me to put a lot of fear in corners when they go against me, because no one wants to get beat over the top,” Anderson said on a Zoom call this week. “That’s going to open up a lot of other things for me on the field. This is honestly probably my first time being around an all-around group of athletes. I’ve played with some very good players, but I think all around this is the best situation I’ve been in across the board.”
That quickness will also open up opportunities for the rest of the offense.
“When you have speed at receiver, a lot of cornerbacks, whatever system they are in, they’re probably not gonna press, so that opens up the quick passes underneath,” Samuel said. “It opens up a lot of things, because a lot of defenses and a lot of safeties, they want to back up. They tend to play back because they know the speed that they have, which allows tight ends or other receivers on underneath routes or even tailbacks. It opens up so much more when you got speed because a lot of guys start to back up and create that cushion in that space underneath.”
The Panthers will need more than just speed, of course. This group, while promising, isn’t even the most stacked wide receiver core in the division. New Orleans improved this offseason, bringing in Emmanuel Sanders to go along with Michael Thomas. Tampa Bay has two Pro Bowlers from last year in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley are bound to have another big year in Atlanta.
Of course, the Panthers’ wide receiver strength revolves round these three players, although they are still trying to figure out their identity.
“We’re taking kind of Joe’s offense and it’s kind of a Saints derivative, but then you throw in what he did at LSU, which is a lot more three receivers,” Rhule explained last week. “I come here from Baylor, which is a lot more three and four receivers, some of our guys, even going back to Temple, 22 personnel, so we’re just trying to find who we are, what exactly we are.”
Running back Christian McCaffrey will play a big role in the passing game, along with tight end Ian Thomas. Rookie Jeremy Chinn noted that undrafted free agent Omar Bayless has impressed thus far and will compete for a spot on the roster.
It will come down to how the Panthers use Moore, who needs to emerge as a top receiver in the league this season. And can Anderson produce his first 1,000-yard season. Perhaps most importantly, they need Samuel to show his true potential. How they mesh and perform will ultimately determine if this group can compete with the rest of the NFC South’s top-notch receivers.
For now, the exact picture of this offense will have to wait. A spoiler-free zone, if you will. But as Samuel said, “The sky’s the limit.”
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 6:35 PM.
