5 burning questions the Carolina Panthers offense must answer in 2021
By Dean Jones
What burning questions on offense must the Carolina Panthers try and answer during the 2021 season?
There is hope and trepidation in equal measure surrounding the Carolina Panthers and their chances in 2021. It’s been another eventful offseason across the organization in one way or another, with general manager Scott Fitterer wasting no time in bringing what he deems to be the right sort of players into the franchise that can help the team progress.
The early signs for the Panthers under Matt Rhule were encouraging, for the most part. Some obvious and ongoing problems surfaced in key moments. But considering they were highly competitive against some legitimate Super Bowl contenders, it is a solid foundation from which to build.
Carolina has a potentially dynamic defense that should make notable strides next season. There also remains plenty of intrigue about how they’ll get on from an offensive standpoint, which could make all the difference.
With this in mind, what are some burning questions on offense the Panthers need to answer in 2021?
Question No. 1
What adjustments will Carolina Panthers OC Joe Brady make?
Joe Brady has a growing reputation as one of the league’s brightest young minds on offense. He made a really solid impression during his first season of play-calling at the next level, which resulted in a number of head-coaching interviews despite his lack of experience.
While there were plenty of positives, Brady was criticized for some naive calls in critical moments – especially down the stretch of games or in the red zone. This cost the Panthers in a big way and some big adjustments are needed from the coordinator to take this group to a different stratosphere.
Having Christian McCaffrey back will help. Brady should also benefit from more pass-catching options at the tight end position and a quarterback who gets the ball downfield quickly in Sam Darnold.
Providing Brady himself can learn from some errors in 2020, a big upturn in production isn’t out of the question. This would lead to even more head coaching interest next year and a potential job offer.