CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers are looking to extend a strong end of the 2014 season into the preseason training camp. The back to back NFC South Division Champs look to make it a three-peat, but there will be several roster spots up for grabs that will be determined in training camp.
First, arguably the biggest concern for the Panthers going into the upcoming season is the left tackle position. Free agent Michael Oher was signed in the offseason, but he needs to learn and improve as his level of play has declined in recent years due to injuries and he played primarily on the right side of the ball. Cam Newton has been hit or sacked nearly twice as much as any other quarterback in the last four years. His protection needs to be addressed and improved pronto, especially given the five-year, $103.8 million contract he signed in June. There is not much of a plan b here other than resorting back to unproven Nate Chandler. So, hopefully Oher proves he can be the pass-rushing wall on the field that he was once hyped to become.
The Panthers’ offense was less than spectacular at the start of last season, ranking 22nd in yards gained through their Week 12 bye. However, something clicked in the last 5 games of the regular season and the Panthers became the best rushing team in the league during that stretch. However, the loss of DeAngelo Williams cuts off a head of the two-headed monster that he and Jonathan Stewart created in Carolina for so many years. So, who will be Jonathan Stewart’s backup? The Panthers signed Cameron Artis-Payne out of Auburn in the fifth round, who is a solid between-the-tackles runner, but he will have to win the spot over the more experienced Fozzy Whittaker and Jordan Todman. Fozzy showed great potential last season to be a designated screen halfback who can get to the edge quick and Todman has similar playing style. To keep these players from getting banged up by the end of the season, we could likely see a combination of three of them in each game with one taking a reserved role. Cough, Todman, cough.
The Panthers expect 6’4 rookie Devin Funchess to be the second go-to wide receiver on the roster, but his value has yet to be proven at the professional level. Behind 6’5 Kelvin Benjamin and 6’5 Greg Olsen, the trio could potentially create matchup nightmares and limit Cam’s frustrating overthrows. Benjamin showed great potential in his rookie season, but a large portion of his stats came in garbage-time minutes and he had a problem with dropped balls. He will be looking to show more consistency this year. The Panthers also brought back Tedd Ginn and kept Corey Brown, both of whom bring blazing speed to the edge. Don’t forget, Jerricho Cotchery is still around as a short-yardage, possession option who brings sure hands to keep the chains moving. Carolina will likely rotate this revamped group in and out given the situation at hand.
The Panthers saw a decline in sacks and QB hurries in 2014 with the loss of Greg Hardy, so the battle for the defensive end spot opposite of Charles Johnson is underway. Kony Ealy showed promise, but Mario Addison and Wes Horton have made plays for Carolina as well. The key here is showing consistency with harassing the quarterback. Each candidate showed potential in doing just that, but they lacked the stats to back up an automatic starting bid. The competition here should be fierce.
Although the Panthers have arguably the best linebacking corps in the league, there are still question marks surrounding the group. Besides Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, nothing is permanent for the third starting spot. A.J. Klein and Adarius Glanton both started games last year, but the Panthers used their first round pick on the versatile Shaq Thompson, who GM David Gettleman is convinced has the skill set of an outside linebacker. The Panthers also picked up linebacker David Mayo out of Texas State, despite having a multitude of hard-hitters. It will be interesting to see who gets the starting outside linebacker position opposite of Davis and where Thompson will fit in with this stout front seven.
Carolina’s secondary has undergone dramatic transitions in the last couple years, but it seems that the pieces are finally coming together. The Panthers changed their secondary roster to feature some of their younger players midseason in 2014 and it worked. Josh Norman and Bené Benwikere emerged as solid starting cornerbacks and Tre Boston outplayed Thomas DeCoud at the free safety position. The pick up of veteran free agent Charles Tillman brings the experience to the cornerback corps that Roman Harper brings to the safeties. At age 34, Tillman will have a tough battle to dismantle the younger Benwikere from his starting job, but at minimum Tillman is a solid rotation corner for zone coverage who can teach the young guys a lesson or two.
All in all, the Panthers need to lock down the offensive line, so that they have a five-man unit playing cohesively to protective their franchise quarterback. The team needs to find a consistent pass-rushing threat in a second defensive end. They need to figure out how to use Shaq Thompson as effectively as possible. They need to sculpt a DeAngelo Williams replacement. But most importantly, Carolina needs to continue to build on the improvement they saw in the latter part of last season. The defense should continue to wear opponents down with physical play and the offense should keep playing possession, ground-and-pound Panther football. If all goes as planned, the Cardiac Cats are poised to take the NFC South title again and make a deep playoff run this season.
*Pictures provided by the Carolina Panthers*
