The Carolina Panthers bring down the curtain on their 2024 home campaign with a clash against Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.
While the Panthers have already improved on the paltry two wins accumulated in 2023, it’s hard to argue there’ll be a sense of disappointment amongst fans if no more wins arrive. Especially considering Carolina was 3-7 at one stage.
Dave Canales has shown improvement as the campaign progressed. It was only natural we’d see bumps in the road. Couple this with instability at the quarterback position, it is no surprise that this offense ranks amongst the NFL's worst.
With Bryce Young showing signs of life following his benching and improvements in Canales' play calling, there is certainly cause for optimism. If these two things continue to shine through over the final three weeks of the season and Carolina secures a top-five pick, one could argue this is the best-case scenario.
How the snaps are distributed will go some way to determining what direction the team will go this offseason. The Panthers have seen contributions from a multitude of rookies this season across both offense and defense. Getting a prolonged look at those on the fringes or with less experience is a good way to enhance Dan Morgan's assessments.
With that being said, let’s break down four Panthers players who could see a reduced role in Week 16.
Carolina Panthers players who could see reduced snaps in Week 16
Xavier Woods - Carolina Panthers S
The need for the Carolina Panthers to address the safety position this offseason has grown. Veteran Xavier Woods, who is a pending free agent this spring, will likely play his last game at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.
Outside a two-year stint with Eric Reid and Jeremy Chinn, the Panthers have lacked consistency on the backend. Woods has been fine this season, but he is not the long-term answer at 29 years old.
Woods got another unnecessary roughness penalty following a hit on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Many agree it was a legal hit, but the player has acquired a reputation amongst officials. This leaves him vulnerable to harsher calls.
The Panthers should once again give rookie undrafted free agent Demani Richardson a bigger role to close the season after the player impressed in his short stint as a starter. Regardless of what the former Texas A&M star shows down the stretch if called upon, Carolina must make this position a priority this summer.