5 bonafide superstars from the Carolina Panthers 2022 season

James Campen – Carolina Panthers OL coach

The offensive line has been a thorn in the Carolina Panthers’ side for almost a decade. An obvious weak spot, James Campen took lemons and made a Grand Cru champagne.

Carolina’s protection finished the 2021 season 31st out of 32 collective groups according to Pro Football Focus. In just one season, despite starting a rookie at left tackle, Campen guided this squad to No. 15 overall in 2022.

Campen didn’t just turn around the offensive line in a matter of months, he did so with a relatively new cast of players. Apart from Taylor Moton, the rest of the starters were new additions or starting for the first time at a different position for the team.

Speaking of Moton, he earned the lowest run-blocking PFF grade of his career, coming in at 55.2. The Western Michigan product’s pass blocking was still superb, allowing just 21 pressures in 17 games played.

Another thing to consider – the players that did stay involved in the offensive line from last season, were much maligned and the main culprits leading Carolina to the second-worst grade in 2021. Under Campen’s tutelage, Pat Elflein and Cam Erving became more than serviceable in their reduced roles.

Elflein served as starting center until his season was cut short by injury. Prior to getting hurt, he boasted a 60.9 PFF grade, giving him the 26th best of all centers.

His replacement, Bradley Bozeman, came in and raised the bar even higher, walking off with the 19th-best campaign of all centers behind a 63.1 overall grade. The front office should do the right thing and deliver a worthy contract to keep the popular figure in Carolina for seasons to come.

Austin Corbett’s arrival in free agency was a revelation. And as for first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu, the Panthers finally boast a franchise left tackle they’ve been searching for since Jordan Gross retired almost a decade ago.

Couple this with Brady Christensen’s smooth transition to the interior, and it’s not hard to see what a remarkable job Campen’s done this season. Even this is almost a disservice to the job that he accomplished in his first season with the team.

No matter who comes in as permanent head coach, Campen must be kept around at all costs.