Carolina Panthers: Predicting their final record in 2020
The Carolina Panthers will once again struggle in 2020 as they begin their first year of a true rebuild. Predicting their final record this upcoming season will be similar to what was seen in 2019.
As the Carolina Panthers prepare for what awaits this upcoming season, jubilation is in the air so far this offseason. The Panthers started things off with a heavy focus on offense in free agency and used every single one of their picks in the 2020 NFL Draft on defense. Things are looking good as training camp is on the horizon but for now, it’s all hope until proven otherwise.
In the grand scheme of things, over the last few years, the Panthers have been on a steep decline. Last season was the final nail in the coffin that saw the team end up at the bottom of the NFC South at 5-11 that led to the start of a full organizational rebuild. Coaches were fired, household names either were released or retired and well, these were all decisions that needed to happen for better days ahead.
For the most part, the Panthers have earned some high grades based on their offseason moves but will it be enough to field a winning product? Of course, with so many new players and coaches coming into the franchie, they’ll be some growing pains along the way. They’ll be new playbooks and philosophies to understand and execute on that will likely take quite some time for everything to fall into place.
The Carolina Panthers will end the 2020 season at 7-9
More from Cat Crave
- Ranking the top-five QB prospects the Panthers could draft in 2023
- 4 remaining Carolina Panthers cap crunches after Damien Wilson release
- Could Duce Staley help Carolina Panthers land Jamaal Williams in 2023?
- How much could the Carolina Panthers afford to offer Lamar Jackson?
- 4 Panthers rumors to emerge from 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
Due to this, the Panthers will more than likely be just a bit better in 2020 than what the football world saw in 2019. With a ton of younger and better talent added on defense, that should help them win a few more of those close games that come down to the wire. Their offense should be improved but will likely experience some hiccups and miscommunications early on until all these new players get used to each other’s styles and strengths.
With a new quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive linemen on that part of the team, the Panthers can only hope that it’s a recipe to deliver a competent offense. One that keeps those chains moving but most importantly of all, limits the excessive turnovers that have defined their offense over the last few years.
For what it’s worth, new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a very good game manager and shouldn’t have as many reckless interceptions or fumbles that fans have been used to seeing over the past few years. If he plays as good as advertised, it’ll transform the Panthers’ offense into an effective machine that has more depth, strategy, and success.
Newly drafted defensive tackle Derrick Brown can be a nice difference-maker if he steps right in and takes care of business immediately as he could very well be the next new vocal leader on defense. It’s going to be a tough void to fill with the retirement of Luke Kuechly but Brown should be able to carve his own legacy and set the tone for the Panthers’ defense to be formidable as he gets used to life in the pros.
Related Story. ESPN puts Panthers in the bottom of latest Power Rankings. light
Combine this with a new coaching staff instilling a better culture and the Panthers should be able to improve upon what they ended with last season. Life won’t be easy in what looks to be an incredibly competitive NFC South in 2020 but hopefully, it’ll all be big steps forward to rebuild this franchise into a playoff contender over the next few years. For 2020 at least, don’t expect more than seven wins at best if all these new players start meshing quicker than expected. If not, it could be another long season to endure for the Panthers.