Carolina Panthers: Is an aging roster cause for concern?

The Carolina Panthers have a number of veterans who play significant roles, but is the overall age of the roster a cause for concern?

Happy Birthday, Ryan Kalil! The Carolina Panthers two-time All-Pro center turns 33 years old today. Earlier in the offseason, he announced this year would be his last and knowing ahead of time it’s almost certain that the Panthers address this in the draft. Doing so would give Kalil’s successor a chance to be mentored and develop.

At 33, Kalil isn’t the eldest member of the Panthers but he isn’t too far behind. Here is a breakdown of each position groups age:

Center: Ryan Kalil (33), Tyler Lawson (26), Greg Van Roten (28)
Avg: 29

Guard: Dorian Johnson (23), Trai Turner (24)
Avg: 23.5

Tackle: Zach Banner (24), Blaine Clausell (26), Matt Kalil (28), Taylor Moton (23), Jeremiah Sirles (26), Daryl Williams (25)
Avg: 25.3

Quarterback: Garrett Gilbert (26), Cam Newton (28)
Avg: 27

Running Back: Alex Armah (23), Cameron Artis-Payne (27), Christian McCaffrey (21), Fozzy Whittaker (29)
Avg: 25

Wide Receiver: Rasheed Bailey (24), Damiere Byrd (25), Austin Duke (24), Mose Frazier (24), Devin Funchess (23), Jamaal Jones (25), Fred Ross (22), Curtis Samuel (21), Russell Shepard (27), Torrey Smith (29), Jarius Wright (28)
Avg: 24.7

Tight End: Evan Baylis (24), Chris Manhertz (25), Greg Olsen (33), Kent Taylor (24)
Avg: 26.5

Defensive End: Mario Addison (30), Bryan Cox Jr. (23), Daeshon Hall (22), Wes Horton (28), Zach Moore (27), Efe Obada (25), Julius Peppers (38)
Avg: 27.6

Defensive Tackle: Vernon Butler (23), Drew Iddins (25), Kyle Love (31), Dontari Poe (27), Kawann Short (29)
Avg: 27

Linebacker: Richie Brown (23), Thomas Davis (35), Ben Jacobs (29), Luke Kuechly (26), David Mayo (24), Jared Norris (24), Shaq Thompson (23)
Avg: 26.3

Cornerback: James Bradberry (24), Ross Cockrell (26), Lorenzo Doss (23), Corn Elder (23), LaDarius Gunter (25), Cole Luke (22), Captain Munnerlyn (29), Zack Sanchez (24), Kevon Seymour (24)
Avg: 24.4

Safety: Mike Adams (37), Demetrious Cox (23), Colin Jones (30), Damian Parms (25), Da’Norris Searcy (29), Dezmen Southward (27)
Avg: 28.5

Special Teams: Graham Gano, K (30), J.J. Janson, LS (32), Michael Palardy, P (25)
Avg: 29

The two positions most in need of addressing during the NFL Draft are center and safety, with the average age of each group being 29 and 28.5 respectively. Both need an injection of youth in order to prepare for the future.

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The youngest position group going into next season is cornerback with an average age of 24.4 years old. The wide receiver corps isn’t far behind with an average age of 24.7 years. It’s no surprise that over the past two seasons these positions have both been the glaring weaknesses of the team. If the Panthers hopes of winning a Super Bowl are going to be realized in 2018, both of these groups are going to have to step up this year.

The good news is both of these young groups are spearheaded by players overdue for their breakout season. Devin Funchess is entering his fourth year as the Panthers number one wideout for the first time. On the opposite side of the football, after having a bit of a sophomore slump, cornerback James Bradberry is poised to have a big season.

More help should also come from Corn Elder and Daeshon Hall, who are returning from injury. The value of both being able to play their first full season while being mentored by the likes of Julius Peppers and Captain Munnerlyn is going to be invaluable to their development.

The crazy part is Carolina already has a great young core contributing at a high level. Bradberry, Trai Turner, Shaq Thompson, Christian McCaffrey, and Funchess are all still under 25 years old.

Next: Offseason Roster Review - Offense

The future is bright in the Carolinas but championship windows don’t remain open forever.

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