After a disappointing season, the Carolina Panthers had to take some serious looks at making upgrades this offseason. The team went from a one-loss regular season and Super Bowl appearance in 2015 to a lowly six wins this past season. One of the big reasons people attributed this drop off to was the Panthers “losing” the offseason. Although there’s no actual games, any football lifer could tell you that what teams do from February through June is what makes champions. This offseason, the Panthers have made strides to return to championship form.
Every major hole that Carolina had was addressed in some way, shape, form or fashion this offseason. For example, the Panthers extremely young secondary allowed more passing yards per game than all but three other teams in 2016. So, they went out and signed eight-year veteran corner and former Panther’s player Captain Munnerlyn. He should provide a solid presence in the nickel back position and his ability to impart knowledge to the young corners the Panthers already had will be immeasurable. Not to mention, Munnerlyn’s best statistical season of his career came when he was in a Panthers uniform in 2013.
The team’s offensive line also saw a decline in production last season. Profootballfocus.com had the Panthers as the sixth-rated offensive line in its preseason projection, but the unit ended up grading out in the bottom half of the league. So to address this, management went out and secured pro bowl tackle Matt Kalil, younger brother of starting center Ryan Kalil. He sat out much of last year with a hip injury but he has proven that he can be an impact player up front when healthy. This addition should help quarterback Cam Newton return to his MVP form with more protection.
The team also had problems with its running backs catching the ball out of the backfield, which is to be expected in a power running system. But Carolina seems to be heading in a new direction offensively. The team released bruising fullback Mike Tolbert and drafted the two most versatile offensive players in this year’s draft. The team’s first-round draft pick, running back Christian McCaffrey amassed nearly 7,000 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns in his college career at Stanford. Second-round pick wide receiver Curtis Samuel averaged nearly 10 yards per touch and scored 24 touchdowns over his three-year career with Ohio State. They should help the team adapt to the times and spread the offense out.
The fact of the matter is that one of the major problems for the Panthers last year was injuries.
The biggest transactions the team made was resigning key pieces or shoring up things that were already strengths. The front seven showed great resilience last year; the team finished second in the NFL in sacks. Carolina re-signed pass rush specialist Mario Addison as well as adding future Hall of Famer and former Panthers All-Pro defensive end Julius Peppers. The team also extended the contract of defensive tackle Kawann Short. He plays a pivotal role in allowing linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis to roam freely as well as making plays himself.
All in all, the Panthers had a much better offseason on paper but the results will only be seen in this upcoming season.
