What are some critical observations from another season full of drama and intrigue surrounding the Carolina Panthers in 2022?
It’s been more than three weeks season the Carolina Panthers’ regular season concluded in New Orleans. It’s a campaign many fans won’t forget for how tumultuous it was with the peaks and valleys experienced throughout the campaign.
Let’s begin with Matt Rhule, who was fired after two seasons and five games following an underwhelming 1-4 start. There was a changing of the guard, so to speak, with Steve Wilks taking over as the interim head coach, the musical chairs at quarterback that made Carolina the laughing-stock of the league throughout the season, and trading a star player in order to focus on the future.
There were plenty of valleys with the Panthers this past season. However, there were peaks to be excited about.
There was arguably the best play of the year with P.J. Walker’s Hail Mary to D.J. Moore at the Atlanta Falcons. The campaign also included Carolina’s late-season run for a potential playoff berth, the emergence of star players on both sides of the ball, and an interim coach who got his second chance and could get it permanently depending on how the next several days play out.
What comes next for the team owned by billionaire David Tepper? Right now, he and other key figures of the organization are in search of their next head coach and once that is completed, they may focus on the future. One that looks bright for the first time in a while.
There were plenty of things to observe and look back at from this crazy season. Here are five of those from the Panthers’ perspective.
Carolina Panthers must solve their QB situation
One of the big talking points from the season was the Carolina Panthers and their quarterback fiasco. A situation that has stretched from the 2020 offseason when the franchise decided to move on from Cam Newton.
Since then, Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and P.J. Walker have all seen playing time. None of them produced enough to become Carolina’s franchise quarterback.
The Darnold and Mayfield experiments were incredible failures and colossal mistakes for Matt Rhule. This became a big reason why he was ultimately canned.
Now, the Panthers are in the position to finally get their signal-caller via the NFL Draft. This year, general manager Scott Fitterer and his new head coach will have the chance at selecting the future of the franchise. Will it be Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, or the Ohio State all-star C.J. Stroud?
Maybe they look to develop raw, yet gifted players like Kentucky’s Will Levis or Florida’s Anthony Richardson. Either way, it’s time to stop putting this off.
Unfortunately, I’m all the way out on the idea of Matt Corral being the future franchise quarterback. Is it possible? Certainly, but I wouldn’t bank on it due to the risks that come with this direction.
I expect the Panthers to be aggressive this upcoming draft. If the team is unable to land any of the top quarterbacks from the college ranks, Scott Fitterer could see himself out of the door in 2024.
Carolina Panthers trading Christian McCaffrey was the right move
Moving on from a fan favorite is always hard. Carolina Panthers fans have experienced this too much over recent history. Sending away franchise running back Christian McCaffrey was one of those moments.
Following their Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Panthers traded away the former All-Pro to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for four future draft picks, including three in this year’s draft. It was a difficult, but necessary move for a team that was looking to find some direction, whether it was a rebuild or a big retooling project.
With his massive contract and recent injury history, moving on from McCaffrey was a discussion that would’ve likely occurred this offseason regardless. As it turns out, he was healthy for most of 2022 and has been an ample reason why the Niners are playing for the NFC Championship this weekend.
I can’t overstate how much the former Stanford product meant for the Carolinas. He’s arguably one of the two or three best players at his position in franchise history. McCaffrey is also arguably the best running back in the NFL due to his elite versatility, quickness, athletism, vision, bust, and passing down skills.
However, it was time to move on. The team needed a new direction.
They certainly were able to make up for losing McCaffrey. This is thanks in part to the emergence of D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard over the second half of 2022.
The Panthers also got draft capital that will be critical in their decision-making process when it comes to the possibility of trading up for a quarterback. As of right now, the trade is a win-win for all parties.
Carolina Panthers have a roster ready to compete
Some will say this is a biased opinion. Yet, it doesn’t seem to be the case when others consider the Carolina Panthers one of the more attractive teams as it pertains to their head coach job opening.
Let’s begin on the offensive side of the ball. The quarterback position needs to be solved as soon as possible. Though, they have some intriguing talent at the skill positions to build around.
D.J. Moore leads the way. Despite failing to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth straight season, the former Maryland star is considered one of the most underrated players in his position. His teammates Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. have proved to be future contributors.
D’Onta Foreman, assuming he re-signs with the Panthers, and Chuba Hubbard makes a nice one-two punch at running back that could use another set of legs on passing downs. Though, the group looks fine as it is at the moment.
Carolina’s offensive line went from one of the worst in the NFL in 2021 to among the most improved this season. Ikem Ekwonu, Brady Christensen, Bradley Bozeman, Austin Corbett, and Taylor Moton make up a unit that is ready to help a young quarterback succeed early.
On the defensive side of the ball, there are cornerstones on three levels of the unit. Brian Burns and Derrick Brown are the bright spots of the defensive line with Frankie Luvu emerging as a potential star at linebacker. Jaycee Horn and Jeremy Chinn round out a talented defense that with the right coach can be one of the better units in the sport.
On top of all of this, the team will be able to maneuver money to create cap space and have four top 100 selections to use in the upcoming draft.
This is a team that could rule the NFC South for the foreseeable future if Scott Fitterer makes the right moves in the coming weeks.
Carolina Panthers were right not to trade Brian Burns
I promised myself I wouldn’t get into this conversation again. Yet, here we are.
During the trade deadline this season, rumors were swirling that star pass rusher Brian Burns could be traded in a fire sale following Matt Rhule’s firing. Many believed the franchise was about to hit the reset button.
Instead, teams were told no when it came to making offers for the defensive end. One of those offers reportedly came from the Los Angeles Rams, which included a second-round pick this year, together with 2024 and 2025 first-round selections.
Boy, I’m glad Scott Fitterer said no to the Rams. Burns turned in a career year with the Carolina Panthers, racking up 12.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, all career highs.
It’s safe to say that Burns will be receiving a new contract extension from Carolina this offseason. This is likely to be somewhere in the $17-20 million per year range.
What is the argument for trading Burns?
Of course, you get the picks to stock up on and build for the future. Though, it wouldn’t make sense for a Rams organization that has issues all over their roster even at full strength. It would be a move that would’ve likely put Los Angeles in a tailspin and have Les Snead out the door.
And yes, Fitterer would’ve still had plenty of ammunition to trade up for a quarterback this offseason. Even so, finding another pass-rushing prospect to duplicate Burns’ impact and production as a player is a tough ask.
Considering the team was never going to trade Burns, D.J. Moore, and other core pieces in the first place, that shows me that Fitterer liked what he had on the roster. No. 53 was not going anywhere no matter the offer, which was the right call that looks to have paid off for the time being.
Chris Tabor and James Campen were Carolina Panthers MVPs
There are two important words when it comes to any team.
Coaching matters.
It certainly mattered in two critical areas which were special teams and offensive line play. These are two areas the Carolina Panthers struggled with during the dreadful 2021 campaign.
Matt Rhule gets plenty of flack and rightfully so. However, the two best moves he made as head coach were bringing in special teams coordinator Chris Tabor and offensive line coach James Campen.
What were originally flaws became strengths in 2022. Tabor’s unit finished fourth on Rick Gosselin’s rankings for the season, thanks in part to the last-minute addition of kicker Eddy Pinerio and the offseason acquisition of All-Decade punter Johnny Hekker.
Plus, the Panthers led the league in field goals blocked per game.
Campen on the other hand has received high praise from fans, together with local and national media alike. As previously mentioned a couple of slides ago, the Panthers had one of the worst offensive lines in football in 2021. Fast forward to this moment in time, and the unit is among the NFL’s most improved position groups.
The former Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans offensive line coach oversaw the development of Ikem Ekwonu and helped coach a solidified group that could see future Pro Bowlers with further development.
When the Panthers needed a block on special teams or good pass protection in crucial moments, Tabor and Campen’s groups came up big. Whoever becomes Carolina’s next head coach needs to keep these two on staff and allow them to continue their exceptional work.