4 false narratives surrounding the Carolina Panthers in 2022
By Dean Jones
What are some false narratives surrounding the Carolina Panthers as the team gets set for a vitally important 2022 season?
After another eventful offseason period and mandatory minicamp coming to a close, the Carolina Panthers are now doing their own thing before the team comes together once again for training camp in Spartanburg ahead of the 2022 season. A campaign that will likely shape the future of Matt Rhule and many established figures on the roster.
After amassing just 15 wins in three seasons, it’s clear that a complete shift in approach was needed. The Panthers acquired some notable coaches this spring, bolstered their offensive line considerably, and also managed to keep most of the team’s core in place despite losing Haason Reddick, Stephon Gilmore, and DaQuan Jones in free agency.
Rhule has also done some self-assessments since the 2021 campaign came to a close. Becoming more approachable and letting his players take the lead were prominent features of recent workouts, which can hopefully translate into winning football when it matters most.
Only time will tell, obviously. But here are four false narratives surrounding the Panthers heading into the 2022 season.
False Narrative No. 1
Carolina Panthers’ defense could be top-10 in 2022
Although the Carolina Panthers have an abundance of young talent across their defense, expecting them to be a top-10 unit might be stretching things a little. Although it is possible providing some prominent figures take the necessary strides forward in the coming months.
As stated previously, the Panthers lost DaQuan Jones, Stephon Gilmore, and Haason Reddick in free agency. They will be hard to replace and especially in Reddick’s case after the blazed a trail to 11 sacks during his one and only season with the franchise.
If the Panthers get bigger contributions from the likes of Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos, they should be good. But that is no guarantee.