Panthers mailbag: Can Jonathan Mingo be top receiver as a rookie? Main concern vs. Falcons?
The Panthers are inching closer to their opener on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. And with Bryce Young’s regular-season debut only a few days away, Carolina fans are naturally curious about their favorite team heading into Week 1.
That’s why The Observer is bringing back the weekly Panthers mailbag to answer your questions and concerns.
Below are three standout questions submitted on social media:
Scott asks: Will Jonathan Mingo have a WR1 type (role) for the team this year? Or do you believe it will be more of a rotation with other WRs?
Mike Kaye: While Mingo did a nice job of pin-balling through defenders during the preseason, it’s hard to see him being “the guy” right away. The second-round pick had inconsistent hands during training camp, and while he’s pegged for the top job in the near future, Mingo is a work-in-progress.
Adam Thielen is likely to lead the team in targets this year, as he can rotate back and forth from the slot to the Z position, where Mingo is currently featured. Thielen is one of the best route runners in the league, and Young can trust him with the ball. While Mingo and Young have developed an undeniable chemistry this summer, Thielen is a safety blanket that can’t be ignored.
DJ Chark has been sidelined with a hamstring injury during the past few weeks. But if he can return to form early in the season — and stay healthy throughout (big if, by the way) — then I’d imagine the veteran takes up targets over Mingo as well. And while Terrace Marshall has been somewhat labeled as the fourth receiver on the unofficial depth chart, it’s important to remember that he’s a rare player on the roster, as he can play all three wideout spots. Marshall will rotate into the lineup fairly regularly and be used all around the formation. It’d also be fair to say Marshall had a better summer at Wofford College than Mingo. Granted, this is Marshall’s third season, so he should be ahead of Mingo.
Ultimately, the Panthers will spread the ball around. Head coach Frank Reich likes taking advantage of week-to-week matchups and getting everyone involved on the field. It also seems like Young thrives when he’s mixing up targets as well. There’s also the presence of tight end Hayden Hurst, who needs to be fed the ball to be effective. So, there’s a lot to factor into the passing game, and it all favors a merry-go-round of a rotation.
Chuck asks: As many of our draft picks as (general manager Scott Fitterer) has traded away, are we that close to a Super Bowl? Because we are going to be severely handicapped in the future.
MK: The Panthers traded a major haul to select Young with the first overall pick. But that package could have been much bigger.
Ultimately, they’ll lose out on a first-round pick in 2024 and a second-round pick in 2025. If the Panthers play as well as they hope they will during the next two years, those picks will be in the middle of those respective rounds (or lower).
The Panthers will have six picks in 2024 and seven picks in 2025, so it’s not like they’re completely without lottery tickets for development in the future. But, yes, the lack of premium picks is a tad concerning.
Regarding Super Bowl trajectory, it’s hard to really tell.
I typically subscribe to the idea that you’re not going to win a Super Bowl until you have a quarterback who can compete at the top level. The Panthers haven’t had that guy since Cam Newton’s prime years, and that’s why they spent all of that draft capital on a trade up to No. 1.
The brain trust believes that if the team can protect Young, the Panthers have found their guy for the foreseeable future. If that projection is correct, then yes, they are much closer to the Super Bowl.
Good teams are aggressive in their roster building. The Panthers went after who they wanted at quarterback at the top of the draft, and if they’re right, they should be in win-now mode by 2024. They’ll also have a boatload of cap space to spend around Young next offseason, which is another reason to go with a young quarterback on a rookie contract as opposed to someone like Derek Carr or Aaron Rodgers.
The Panthers are projected to have around $55 million in cap space next year, according to Over The Cap. Carolina can use that money to fortify the defense and get more weapons around Young. Sure, trading up for a 5-foot-10, 204-pound quarterback is a gamble. But if it pays off, the Panthers are set up to succeed in the long term.
This season is all about Young. If the Panthers don’t make the playoffs and Young excels, they’ll feel like the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2016 season, ahead of their 2017 Super Bowl-winning campaign. If they make the playoffs, Young would have clearly played well and the Panthers can feel like they are progressing properly.
There is the chance that Young falters (or gets injured) and this whole thing implodes. But even then, the Panthers aren’t just going through the motions. This season will dictate the long-term future of the franchise one way or another, and that’s not really what was happening during the past two years of mediocrity.
The trade up for Young was worthwhile one. It’s a matter of which outcome it reveals that’ll be the ultimate answer.
Bryson asks: Biggest area of concern heading into Week 1 vs. Atlanta?
MK: The offensive line bounced back a bit during the dress rehearsal against the Detroit Lions, so I wouldn’t go into panic mode just yet. But there are still plenty of questions left to be answered there.
The pass protection hasn’t been up to par to this point, and the Panthers are trotting out a relatively small signal-caller under center. Young is also a rookie, so regardless of his size, his protection will be important in his development, and the line just hasn’t been good enough.
The loss of Austin Corbett on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list was noticeable during the summer. And with a young kid — either fourth-round pick Chandler Zavala or Cade Mays — filling in, there are likely to be hiccups during the first month of the season.
Young is extremely intelligent and poised for a rookie, but you don’t want him to develop bad habits as a passer because of a lack of protection and constant need to bounce out of the pocket. If the unit in front of him can’t improve protection, Young and Panthers fans are in for a long season.
Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett could be a nightmare for the interior offensive line on Sunday to start off the campaign. Defensive end Calais Campbell, even at 37, is no slouch, either. Jarrett and Campbell will be notable antagonists throughout the Week 1 matchup.
And not to continue to pick on the offensive line, but the running game remains a mystery. The unit was overrated a bit last season because of how dependent the group was on the ground attack, and it’ll be interesting to see how the run game is impacted by a more balanced play-calling approach this year.
Starting running back Miles Sanders was held out of the preseason with a groin injury, and he has thrived behind an excellent line in Philadelphia for the past four years. If the Panthers can’t open up consistent holes, Sanders will suffer, and the passing game will take on the brunt of run games struggles.
A lot is riding on the offensive line this year, and veterans like Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen and Bradley Bozeman will need to lift up the group in morale and performance to begin the season. I’m not concerned about 2022 first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu. Sure, the preseason was rough, but he’s still developing. There will be bumps in the road, but he still has the chance to live up to his immense upside sooner rather than later.
Another area of concern is probably the run-stopping ability of the defense. This defense has been crushed by the opposing rushing attack for years, and a 3-4 defense can sometimes make things worse in that regard. Without a true nose tackle in the middle of this front, there’s a lot of pressure on Shy Tuttle and Derrick Brown to deliver as the first line of defense.
Want to ask a Panthers question? Ask Mike Kaye on X — formerly known as Twitter — by following him: @Mike_E_Kaye
This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
