Carolina Panthers 2020 Season Preview
The Carolina Panthers have officially turned the page and are setting the reset button. Ron Rivera is out as head coach and former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule is in. The organization also decided to part ways with the face of the franchise, Cam Newton, due to declining play and injury concerns.
Although the overall roster may not look like a playoff contender, an explosive offensive along with a new coaching staff has the folks in Charlotte feeling optimistic about the upcoming season. There's no question that the Panthers are the youngest and most inexperienced team in the NFC South, but don't be surprised if they pull out a couple of unexpected wins. How fast the young defense grows and matures will be the determining factor of whether Carolina will be a bottom dweller or if they can push toward a .500 record.
Offense
Despite the changing of the guard at quarterback, the Carolina Panthers are expected to have a high-powered, uptempo offense that can put points on the board in bunches.
At quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater gets his second chance to lead an NFL franchise after spending two seasons as Drew Brees' backup in New Orleans. Last season, Brees went down with an injury and Bridgewater made the most of his opportunity by leading the Saints to a perfect 5-0 record in his five starts. Bridgewater may not boast eye-popping numbers, but he's been a winner everywhere he has gone. Through the first couple of weeks of training camp, Bridgewater has taken control of the offense and is feeling really comfortable in offensive coordinator Joe Brady's system, who was an offensive assistant with the Saints from 2017-18.
As far as Bridgewater's weapons, well, he's got a full arsenal of speed. The receiving corps is built to stretch the field and test teams deep down the field. Third year receiver DJ Moore is expected to be the go-to guy in the offense after his breakout season in 2019 where he went for 1,175 yards and four touchdowns on 87 receptions. The Panthers added one of the best vertical threats in the NFL by brining in former New York Jet Robby Anderson this offseason on a two-year deal to compliment Moore. Curtis Samuel is the wild card in the equation. Although he has not quite lived up to the expectations, he is someone the coaching staff has been really excited about and has even had thoughts about playing him at running back - yes, running back. They see him as a dynamic player with the ball in his hands and they are looking for every way possible to expand his role in the offense and get him more touches. At tight end, Ian Thomas is the favorite to replace Greg Olsen, but Chris Manhertz is right on his tail and has had a very solid camp.
To balance that passing attack, Carolina has arguably the best running back in all of football in Christian McCaffrey. In 2019, McCaffrey became just the third player in the history of the NFL to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving in the same season, joining Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig.
The offensive line should be much improved after a really poor showing in 2019. The unit allowed a league-high 58 sacks, but should have much better pass protection on the edge with the acquisition of veteran Russell Okung.
Defense
On the other side of the ball, the Panthers enter the 2020 season a little challenged in every level of the defense to a certain extent.
Much of the offseason was centered around rebuilding the defensive line, which lost every starter on the unit with the exception of Kawann Short, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury. To add some more beef on the inside, the Panthers selected Derrick Brown fifth overall and also selected Bravvion Roy in the sixth round. Defensive end is going to be a bit of a work in progress with Stephen Weatherly coming over from the Vikings and getting his first chance at a full-time starting role. The Panthers' second round draft pick Yetur Gross-Matos looks the part, but still needs to develop into an all-around player before being an every down guy. The team is also expecting former 2019 first round pick Brian Burns to take a huge step in the pass rushing department and play with more consistency. If Burns can pressure the quarterback with regularity, it will take a lot of pressure off of a very inexperienced secondary.
One of the biggest hits to the Panthers' defense came from the linebacking unit as Luke Kuechly has retired and taken a scouting role with the organization. The truth of the matter is, there's no replacing a generational talent like Kuechly. But the Panthers aggressively attacked the free agent market and wound up with Tahir Whitehead, which is about as good a player the Panthers could afford to help fill that void.
The secondary is going to be the weakest link for the Panthers in 2020 as Eric Reid and James Bradberry are out and a plethora of inexperienced players are going to be counted on early in their career. Second round draft pick Jeremy Chinn appears to be the most game-ready of the youthful members in the secondary and will be able to move all over the field and even play in the box at times. Cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Eli Apple are going to have their work cut out for them going up against the likes of Julio Jones, Mike Evans, Michael Thomas and the rest of the big time receivers in the explosive NFC South division. Luckily, the Panthers have a nice safety duo of Tre Boston and Juston Burris to help erase the threat of any big plays down the field. Head coach Matt Rhule labeled Burris as the "unsung hero" of training camp so far.
Predicted Record: 5-11
The Panthers' offense certainly has enough firepower to compete with not only the teams in their division, but every team on their schedule. However, the defense is extraordinarily young and the depth isn't quite there. There are certainly some intriguing pieces on this team that make you think they could be better than five wins, but year one under Matt Rhule will likely see some growing pains.
Expected Depth Chart - Offense
QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Will Grier, P.J. Walker
RB: Christian McCaffrey, Mike Davis, Reggie Bonnafon
WR: DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel, Pharoh Cooper
WR: Robby Anderson, Seth Roberts, Brandon Zylstra
TE: Ian Thomas, Chris Manhertz, Temarrick Heminway
FB: Alex Armah
LT: Russell Okung, Greg Little
LG: Dennis Daley
C: Matt Paradis, Tyler Larsen
RG: John Miller, Michael Schofield
RT: Taylor Moton
Expected Depth Chart - Defense
DE: Stephen Weatherly, Yetur Gross-Matos
DT: Derrick Brown, Bravvion Roy
DE: Kawann Short, Zach Kerr, Efe Obada
LOLB: Brian Burns, Adarius Taylor
LILB: Shaq Thompson, Andre Smith
RILB: Tahir Whitehead, Jermaine Carter Jr.
ROLB: Marquis Haynes, Julian Stanford
LCB: Donte Jackson, Troy Pride Jr., Stanley Thomas-Oliver
RCB: Eli Apple, T.J. Green
FS: Tre Boston, Kenny Robinson
SS: Juston Burris, Jeremy Chinn
Special Teams
P: Joe Charlton
K: Joey Slye
LS: J.J. Jansen
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