6 Carolina Panthers who can spearhead immense improvements in 2024
Miles Sanders - Carolina Panthers RB
After trading Christian McCaffrey and letting D’Onta Foreman walk in free agency, the Carolina Panthers signed Miles Sanders to be the lead running back of the offense. The three-year, $25.4 million deal with $13 million guaranteed, led to hope that he’d have close to similar production he had during his final season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Similar to the rest of the 2023 offense, Sanders' play was significantly underwhelming.
He was an average running back on the field. His play never translated to the success he had with the Eagles, partly because of the consistency and stability along their offensive line along with some of the best run-game designs in the league. Sanders continued to display poor vision with fumble issues and sizeable gaps in pass protection ability.
Every time Sanders was on the field or touched the ball, the offense would go backward. Following the Week 7 bye, the former Penn State standout lost his starting job to Chuba Hubbard. By Week 18, his snap count had decreased dramatically.
Could the former Eagle become a fit in Dave Canales’ run-first offense? Only time will tell for the sixth-year running back.
Shy Tuttle - Carolina Panthers DT
When former general manager Scott Fitterer signed Shy Tuttle to a three-year, $19.5 million contract, he was expected to be a force on the defensive line. It was an underwhelming season for the veteran. It was also another bad contract from Fitterer, who was later fired once the campaign concluded.
A former undrafted free agent from the Tennessee Volunteers, Tuttle was expected to be the Panthers five-technique but was later slated into the nose tackle role. This turned out to be a disappointing move by defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
The run game struggled. The gap integrity in the middle of Carolina’s defensive line was subpar. There were times when Tuttle was physically outmatched in the trenches and pushed to the second level.
With the addition of A’Shawn Robinson, Tuttle must do a better job of displaying extension at the point of attack, especially in the run game where the Panthers' defense struggled mightily. Furthermore, he must display more power and generate more pressure off the snap since he is likely to be the starting nose tackle this season.
Tuttle must display these improvements in 2024 to complete the run defense overhaul. A better showing will allow him to at least play out his deal. Expect Dan Morgan to take advantage of the potential out in his contract to free up cap space next offseason unless performance levels rise accordingly.