Which offseason decisions severely cost the Carolina Panthers during another losing campaign for the organization in 2022?
Looking back at the 2022 Carolina Panthers season is frustrating. Especially considering what could have been for a team that had a chance despite their consistently poor decisions.
The Panthers had themselves in a position to win the division with a 14-point lead on Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, the secondary and Sam Darnold both collapsed late, leaving Carolina facing another long offseason looking for their next head coach and signal-caller.
While Steve Wilks and Darnold will both get the consideration, it would be surprising to see either back next season. That’s harsh – especially on the interim head coach – but team owner David Tepper has his own ideas about how to progress the franchise.
A playoff berth might not have changed this, one suspects. But it would be a huge accomplishment for Wilks and a reason for fans to believe this team was heading in the right direction.
Carolina’s campaign will fall under a missed opportunity. This should not be blamed on one game but on the decisions before competitive action began.
Looking back, it is easy to see the moves that cost the Panthers what could have been a playoff berth. Carolina consistently hurt itself, but which decisions became the catalyst behind their undoing in 2022?
Carolina Panthers traded for Baker Mayfield
The trade for Baker Mayfield appeared to be a good move at the time. The quarterback put together a solid season that led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs in 2020, which indicated the acquisition to be a clear upgrade over Sam Darnold or P.J. Walker.
In the end, the Carolina Panthers coughed up a sixth-round pick for the quarterback, who ended 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams after he was let go by Steve Wilks once Darnold was ready to return.
The Panthers essentially gave away a draft pick for a player who didn’t influence Carolina’s season in a positive way. Perhaps it was the coaching staff or the offense, but Mayfield was a bust from the start with errant throws and turnovers evident throughout his time under center.
It is easy to argue the Panthers would be in a better position both in the draft and the 2022 regular season if they had looked elsewhere for their answer at quarterback. Mayfield was well below average production-wise, although he deserves credit for adapting and improving his leadership skills during his brief stint with the franchise.
What comes next for Mayfield is unclear. He performed well overall for the Rams, but the prospect of head coach Sean McVay walking away in the not-too-distant future leaves the former No. 1 overall selection facing an uncertain future before free agency.
Carolina Panthers didn’t fire Matt Rhule
The level at which the Carolina Panthers played for Matt Rhule and Steve Wilks was such an obvious difference. This was also the most damning indictment of all regarding the fired coach’s suspect methods.
Wilks had this team playing hard at the end of the season, battling on every snap no matter whether the game was meaningful or who was at quarterback. It became a completely revitalized operation once the interim came into the limelight.
Rhule was lost as an NFL head coach. That could not have been more obvious over the first five games in 2022.
From his starting lineups to in-game management, Rhule deserved to be fired after the 2021 campaign and Carolina should have had new leadership.
It is very easy to make the argument that if Wilks or any other capable head coach was in place to start the year, the Panthers win the NFC South. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were begging someone to take over all season long, even giving Carolina the chance to steal a playoff berth down the stretch.
Firing Rhule before the 2022 season should have happened. The fact David Tepper couldn’t see things clearly cost the Panthers a home playoff game.
Carolina Panthers didn’t trade Robbie Anderson
While one cannot prove that starting the season with Robbie Anderson on the roster hurt the Carolina Panthers, he was obviously a distraction. Whether it was making comments about Baker Mayfield or arguing with the wide receivers coach and getting sent to the locker room in Week 6 at the Los Angeles Rams, he helped very little in 2022.
The Panthers should have traded Anderson during the offseason. Especially after voicing his displeasure about Mayfield’s potential arrival.
It was an uneasy pairing from the start for two players who were both looking to rebound from rough seasons. If the Panthers were going to get their best return for Anderson, they should have traded the Temple product and allowed the likes of Terrace Marshall Jr. and Shi Smith to step into a starting role.
Anderson had one great season with the Panthers. But he regressed in 2023 and was unable to connect consistently with any of the quarterbacks Carolina deployed throughout the campaign.
Although the financial hit would’ve been significant, it was a mistake not to make the move sooner. The Panthers likely would have been able to get a far better return and saved some in-season drama for a team that simply needed Steve Wilks’ calm leadership to get them going in the right direction.
Carolina Panthers mismanaged the QB situation
The whole rationale behind bringing back Matt Rhule was his reasoning that the Carolina Panthers were simply a quarterback away. The head coach hadn’t found the right guy before 2022, with Teddy Bridgewater the best option during his tenure in retrospect.
A failed trade for Sam Darnold made it very obvious that this team would be in the quarterback market. Carolina opted to keep Darnold and P.J. Walker, adding Baker Mayfield to the roster in the hope of solving their issues.
While hindsight always provides perspective, it seemed obvious the Panthers should have either stuck with Walker and Darnold as they wound up doing at the end of this past season, or cut them both to bring in different options.
Matt Corral is obviously excluded from this conversation after his season-ending injury during a warmup game against the Buffalo Bills. Had the third-round selection been healthy, there’s no doubt he would have played a role at some stage.
Carolina’s season ended with the team in the exact same position at quarterback. Only this time, Darnold will be headed to free agency.
The Panthers wasted a season not finding a long-term answer or having any idea of how to properly manage the options at their disposal. With little cap space to make a big move, it seems likely Carolina will go down the draft route early in pursuit of finally getting things right at football’s most crucial position.