4 ways the Panthers can salvage something from the 2021 season
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers must play their young stars
It’s time to start planning for the future. That means the Carolina Panthers playing their young stars and forming a concise plan about what needs to be done this offseason during a crucial third-year of Matt Rhule’s reign as head coach.
If he makes it that far.
There’s been a real reluctance to introduce some of the team’s 2021 NFL Draft picks. The likes of Shi Smith, Phil Hoskins, and Deonte Brown have barely seen the field during their rookie campaigns, with Tommy Tremble and Brady Christensen also requiring additional responsibility on their shoulders down the stretch.
Christensen looked uncomfortable at the right guard spot against the Atlanta Falcons. Hardly surprising when one considers he’s never played on the interior during his career before coming to Carolina and just why the coaching staff doesn’t use him on the blindside remains a mystery.
The situation with Terrace Marshall Jr. is also bizarre. The second-round pick has been a relative afterthought in the passing game and was even a healthy scratch at the Miami Dolphins, so there is much work to do if he wants to justify such a high-end draft selection.
Another who could use an increased workload over the next four games is cornerback CJ Henderson, an addition in-season from the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was taken out of the starting lineup pretty quickly after being torched by Russell Gage in Week 14 and the jury is still out regarding his desire and long-term aspirations.
If none of these players steps up, so what? The Panthers will at least know for sure and they aren’t getting the right sort of production from more experienced figures in any case.