The Panthers have 10 reasons for optimism and concern as they enter NFL training camp
From the chance the Panthers are taking on Baker Mayfield, to the longevity of Christian McCaffrey, and everything between — here are five reasons for optimism and five reasons for concern as Carolina’s training camp begins Tuesday.
5 concerns: McCaffrey, Mayfield and Rhule
1. The durability of Christian McCaffrey. The highest-paid running back in the NFL heads into his sixth training camp with the Panthers this week. And for a second straight camp, he faces a perilous question: Is he Carolina’s future?
It wasn’t too long ago that the answer was a resounding yes. The eighth overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft recorded 6,602 all-purpose yards in his first three seasons. In 2019, he was the league’s most productive player — accumulating 2,392 yards and 19 touchdowns in 403 touches — and as a result signed a four-year, $64 million extension with the Panthers in April 2020.
Everything has changed since. The now-26-year-old has played in 10 games over the last two seasons with various injuries undercutting his ascension. He’s proven that he’s invaluable. (The Panthers were a winning team in 2021 (4-3) with McCaffrey in the lineup.) But a valuable star is a liability if he doesn’t play.
McCaffrey has tried to address this concern this offseason. In May, he told reporters that he has gleaned advice from other running back greats, including Marshall Faulk, a Hall of Famer whose durability is legendary: Faulk played 12 years in the NFL and never played fewer than 11 games in any of those seasons.
The Panthers have tried to address this concern, too. They added to their backfield (more on this later). They also restructured McCaffrey’s contract in March to save cap space and recruit others who can help him shine.
Still, though, the question remains: Carolina locked McCaffrey down in 2020. And he’s surely proven his value. But can he stay healthy long enough to prove he’s the Panthers’ future?
2. The Panthers’ quarterback problem. The NFL is a complicated league that orbits a complicated game — but it has a remarkably simple coda: A good quarterback makes a good team.
The problem? Head coach Matt Rhule has yet to find a good quarterback.
The Panthers piled up on signal-callers this offseason, and each one rears reason for concern.
Sam Darnold showed flashes of competency as the main starter in 2021, and reportedly has impressed so far this offseason, but it’s hard to forget how he unraveled with the rest of the team last October. Panthers third-round draft pick Matt Corral is “insanely athletic” but green. Blockbuster trade product Baker Mayfield has charisma — not 2015 Cam Newton charisma, but charisma nonetheless — and helped deliver a perennial-doldrum-bound Browns organization to a playoff win in 2020. But he also is coming off the least-productive season of his four-year career.
Training camp should provide clarity on the team’s quarterback depth chart. But will it mean that a good quarterback is leading the Panthers in 2022?
3. No Hasaan Reddick to bolster the Panthers’ pass rush. Carolina boasted one of the best defenses in the league in 2021. But the team will be missing a key piece in Haason Reddick.
The linebacker/defensive end/pass-rush extraordinaire started every game he played in Carolina and notched two forced fumbles, 68 tackles and 11 sacks in 2021. He was the brilliant counterpart to Pro Bowl starter Brian Burns, who also had a productive year.
Reddick’s departure to Philadelphia weakens Carolina’s pass rush, and it particularly hurts its linebacking corps — the biggest question mark on the Panthers’ defense. Seven-year veteran Shaq Thompson returns. The rest of Carolina’s linebackers are unproven. Among the unheralded additions: Cory Littleton, who was brought on with a one-year contract from the Raiders; Damien Wilson, who signed this offseason after playing last year for the Jaguars; and Brandon Smith, a fourth-round pick from Penn State.
4. An unpredictable Robbie Anderson. Two seasons ago, Anderson was prolific: 95 catches, 1,096 yards receiving, three touchdowns. He signed a two-year, $29.5 million contract right before last season because of that.
But last season wasn’t the same. He was targeted less — a fact that was inflamed when Anderson was filmed reaming out Darnold on the sideline during the team’s loss to the Eagles — and he dropped more passes. The dynamic between him and Mayfield will be interesting to watch, too, considering Anderson posted on social media in April indicating that he didn’t want Mayfield to be traded to Carolina. (Anderson has since given context to those remarks, saying that they were an attempt to “defend my quarterback” in Darnold.)
Anderson isn’t the only question mark among Carolina’s pass-catchers. Really everyone besides DJ Moore — who has been remarkably productive despite not having great passers — is worthy of scrutiny. That includes Terrace Marshall, whose development was stifled by injuries in 2021, as well as tight end Ian Thomas, who was granted a three-year, $16.5 million deal at the beginning of free agency despite only notching 18 catches for 188 yards in 2021.
5. The hot seat under Matt Rhule. Carolina’s head coach heard “Fire Matt Rhule!” chants ring in his own stadium last year. The Panthers kept him, and team owner David Tepper publicly expressed his faith in Rhule amid the cacophony, but Rhule’s seat is warm heading into 2022 nonetheless. Will the pressure of needing to win immediately stunt any long term team development?
5 reasons for optimism: Burns, Ekwonu and Rhule’s staff
1. Emergence of Brian Burns. The Panthers’ 4-3 defense will once again rely on its defensive line. The good news? The line looks like it’ll be a strength in 2022.
There’s Brian Burns on the outside. The 24-year-old defensive end played in all 17 games last season and notched nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss. He’s joined by interior linemen Derrick Brown, the Panthers’ 2020 first-round draft pick, and plenty of other young guns — including Yetur Gross-Matos and Matt Ioannidis, a tackle who signed a one-year deal in March.
The Panthers also are reportedly in the mix to lure veteran pass rusher Carlos Dunlap to Carolina this offseason, too. Dunlap played for the Seahawks in 2021 and notched 30 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
2. A new offensive line. The second-most pressing problem Carolina set out to rectify this offseason, after settling on a new quarterback, was its offensive line.
The Panthers were blessed in late April when they saw Charlotte native and N.C. State alum Ikem Ekwonu, a No. 1 overall prospect, drop to Carolina at No. 6. The Panthers also went out and signed two other linemen with robust NFL experience in free agency — Bradley Bozeman (starting center for the Ravens last year) and Austin Corbett (starting guard for Super Bowl-winning Rams).
3. A healthy defensive backfield. It’s true that Stephon Gilmore — probably the best defensive back to ever wear a Panthers jersey, however brief that duration was — is gone. But it’s also true that Carolina’s secondary will be a strength again and might even be better than the one it fielded last year.
Jaycee Horn, the Panthers’ 2021 first-round draft pick, started well last season before breaking his foot in Week 3. He’ll be back. So will cornerback CJ Henderson, a mid-season acquisition, and Donte Jackson, who signed a three-year, $35 million extension this offseason.
Jeremy Chinn, once in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year, is back at safety. And his defensive backfield mate will likely be Xavier Woods — a sixth-year NFL veteran who signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Panthers in March after an impressive season in Minnesota.
4. A deeper running back room. The Panthers have suffered two seasons without their star running back, and they’ve done what they could to avoid a third. This offseason, the Panthers added D’Onta Foreman, who revived his career serving as Derrick Henry’s backup in Tennessee. The back will be a third option in the mix with McCaffrey and Chuba Hubbard, a speedster who got a lot of experience as a rookie last season.
A deeper running back room offers the possibility of a lesser workload for McCaffrey, who, when he does play, touches the ball more than anyone other than the quarterback.
5. Rhule’s staff has NFL experience. Rhule’s philosophy of hiring coaches has appeared to change since he first arrived in Carolina in 2020. Rhule originally brought eight coaches from Baylor and a complete staff with a total of 84 combined years of NFL experience. Among his most notable original hires include Joe Brady, previously the passing game coordinator at LSU in 2019, as his offensive coordinator. (He’s since been fired.) He also hired Phil Snow, who worked with Rhule at Baylor, as his defensive coordinator. (Snow is still with the team.)
Since then, Rhule has prioritized building a staff with robust NFL experience. That’s shown itself this offseason. He hired Ben McAdoo as his OC (former New York Giants head coach); James Campen as his offensive line coach (19 years of NFL experience); Paul Pasqualoni as his defensive line coach (11 years in NFL); and Steve Wilks as his defensive pass game coordinator (former head coach of the Cardinals in 2018 and defensive coordinator for the Browns in 2019).
A coaching staff doesn’t make a team. But any philosophical change is worth noting for a team with a recent track record like Carolina’s — and this one feels promising.
This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
.jpeg)