Carolina Panthers: Curtis Samuel impressing in training camp so far

The Carolina Panthers wideout is off to a great start.

There is no doubt that Curtis Samuel could have a big year for the Carolina Panthers. So far, as the Panthers begin training camp, Samuel looks like he is in mid-season form. That is certainly good news for the organization, as he looks to put together a complete year for the first time in his career.

It’s no secret that Samuel has tremendous talent. When healthy, he has tremendous speed and elusiveness. That’s just the thing, he has to stay healthy. So far, health has been elusive for him. Hopefully, that can change this year. We saw a little bit of what he could do towards the end of last season when he was healthy. Now, he looks to continue that into the 2019 season.

In his training camp observations on Saturday, Max Henson of Panthers.com wrote about how Samuel was making catches on star cornerback Donte Jackson. That is certainly encouraging as Jackson is one of the tougher corners not only on the Carolina Panthers, but in all of football. Samuel needs to continue to work hard and see if he can gain some good momentum heading into the preseason.

I am extremely excited to see what he can do. He certainly is talented, and he definitely has a knack for making catches. I feel like I have written this article every preseason since 2017. However, with his progression last year and his talents overall as a receiver, that should factor into a great performance this year. He will certainly need to be a veteran leader on a Carolina Panthers receiving unit that has some new faces. As Henson observed on Saturday, Samuel looks to be in mid-season form

Samuel had his best game in week 11 against Detroit according to statistics from Pro Football Focus. He had a 91.7 offensive rating and a 90.7 receiving rating. He averaged 11 yards per catch, and a 17-yard reception was his longest of the day. Four of those catches resulted in first downs, and he was truly a playmaker in that game. It was perhaps a sign of things to come for both Samuel and the Carolina Panthers offense.

It will be interesting to see how he will follow things up in 2019. As I wrote about in January, this could be a very big year for him. So far it seems that way, as he is turning heads in training camp.

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