4 underrated contributors for the Carolina Panthers in 2022
By Dean Jones
Jeff Nixon – Carolina Panthers RB coach
When the Carolina Panthers fired Matt Rhule and traded Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, odds on them securing the No. 1 overall selection in 2023 plummeted. Based on how important the All-Pro was to the overall scheme, it’s not hard to see why.
As it turned out, this inspired the Panthers to perform much better on offense than many envisaged in the immediate aftermath of McCaffrey’s departure. This centered on a run-first mentality that needed a multi-back approach to make the necessary strides.
D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard both excelled in their respective roles. Finally getting a chance to emerge from McCaffrey’s shadow obviously helped, but one cannot overlook the impact made by Jeff Nixon in this scenario.
Nixon is one of the few remaining Matt Rhule loyalists on Carolina’s coaching staff. While his time as interim offensive coordinator in 2021 didn’t go according to plan, his work as an assistant this season deserves all the praise in the world.
Whether this is enough for the new staff to keep Nixon around is undetermined. But even if he is deemed surplus to requirements, the coach now has an impressive body of work in pursuit of alternative employment elsewhere.
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