Will Curtis Samuel Deliver a Breakout Season in Carolina?
Curtis Samuel is one of the more intriguing current storylines regarding Buckeyes in the pros for 2020. An extremely versatile player at Ohio State, Samuel’s speed allowed him to be a threat as both a runner and receiver in the fast-paced Buckeye offense. After turning pro in 2017, Samuel was drafted No. 40 overall by the Panthers and looked to make a similar splash in the NFL.
Unfortunately for Samuel, a multitude of deterring factors have caused his production to dip through the first three years of his career. We all know about the issues Carolina has had in the quarterback room since Cam Newton’s injury issues starting flaring up midway through the 2018 season (and persisted through much of 2019 as well) but let’s not forget that Samuel will now have his third offensive coordinator in four years. A new head coach in Matt Rhule may be a saving grace.
Even though many aren’t high on the Panthers in a loaded NFC South that features star quarterbacks Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, and now Tom Brady, there is an opportunity for Samuel specifically to improve his numbers. Rhule ran a spread offensive system at Baylor and will likely want to incorporate many of those elements into a Teddy Bridgewater-run offense, which should allow Samuel to have more opportunities/space to showcase that versatility we all loved when he was a Buckeye.
Last year was the first time Samuel saw action in all 16 regular-season games during his stint in Carolina. Now entering the final year of his rookie deal, the pressure is on to improve his production from a career-high 627 receiving yards in 2019. He’s totaled 1,236 receiving yards and 278 rushing yards in his career thus far and, while Rhule will certainly look to utilize Samuel’s skill set more than it has been thus far, it doesn’t seem like there have been any talks of an extension to this point.
Hopefully this year will change that for Samuel. Regardless, it’s hard to believe that a guy like this won’t get another shot elsewhere if things don’t pan out in Carolina. Many believe he just needs a coach that knows how to use him in a variety of situations, and hasn’t quite had that through his first three years in the league. New coach, new quarterback, new Curtis Samuel? This 2020 season will prove to be a pivotal year for his NFL future.
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