5 Reasons to be Excited for Panthers' Future Under Matt Rhule
The Carolina Panthers ended their 2020 season with a 33-7 blowout loss at the hands of the New Orleans Saints, finishing with a 5-11 record. Although it was certainly a disappointing end to the season, there is still a lot to be excited about with the franchise moving forward.
Matt Rhule and his staff did a really good job this year considering the amount of youth and inexperience that this roster had, not to mention the slew of injuries to key players. Eight of the Panthers' eleven losses were by one score and even though it's disappointing to see them fall just short that many times, it's encouraging to see with such a young bunch. I mean, who expected them to take the Kansas City Chiefs all the way down to the wire on the road? Or even the Green Bay Packers? Not many. This team showed resiliency and fight, two characteristics that typically prove they are bought into what the coach is selling.
What is there to look forward to? Let's break it down!
Young nucleus on defense
The Panthers knew they had to revamp their defense which is why they took defensive players with all seven picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. For the majority of the season, the Panthers play five of those rookies in significant roles - DT Derrick Brown, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, S Jeremy Chinn, DT Bravvion Roy, and CB Troy Pride Jr.
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow understands that this group is far from where it needs to be but has a few pieces to build around. First-round pick Derrick Brown lived up to expectations becoming a force on the interior of the line and second-round pick Jeremy Chinn had an outstanding season finishing with 117 tackles, 5 pass deflections, one interception, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, five QB hits, and two defensive touchdowns. Gross-Matos and Brian Burns will give the Panthers a strong pass rush, so the next thing is to build some depth at the second and third levels of the defense.
Rising stars at receiver
Robby Anderson and DJ Moore are both under contract for 2021, but the versatile Curtis Samuel is not. He just completed the final year of his rookie deal, so it'll be interesting to see what the Panthers decide to do in terms of his future. I'm sure the coaching staff would love to have him back, but it may be challenging considering the cap situation. Even if the Panthers can't retain Samuel, they're in great shape with DJ Moore and Robby Anderson - two guys that took the league by storm in 2020.
A healthy Christian McCaffrey
Star running back Christian McCaffrey only played in three games this season due to a bevy of injuries (ankle, shoulder, thigh, etc.) Getting him back to 100% will help elevate the productivity and efficiency of the offense. Having one of the league's elite offensive playmakers under contract thru 2025 will certainly help get things turned around sooner rather than later.
Top 10 pick
The Panthers will be selecting 8th in this year's NFL Draft. The last time the Panthers picked in this spot, they grabbed the guy mentioned above, Christian McCaffrey. There's no telling where exactly the franchise will go with their first-round pick, but it should be one that is able to make an immediate impact. That is unless it's a quarterback...
Rhule's Connection with new GM
Let's be honest, the decision to move on from Marty Hurney was well past due. Now, the Panthers can sign a modern-day GM that fits with the vision of Matt Rhule and team owner David Tepper in using analytics and data to help make decisions. Hurney did do a great job with hitting on his first-round picks, but beyond that, it was a bit rough.
It didn't seem like there was much of a disconnect if any between Rhule and Hurney, but now, Rhule gets to be a part of the hiring process in helping select the new GM which should benefit he and the franchise greatly.
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