Carolina Panthers 2022 Offseason Checklist
The 2021 season is now in the rearview mirror as the Carolina Panthers finished with a 5-12 record, finishing dead last in the NFC South division. After starting 3-0, the Panthers totally imploded thanks to below average play along the offensive line and quarterback position.
What exactly must the Panthers do to get things headed in the right direction in 2022? Let's take a look.
Don't just hire any offensive coordinator
Bill O'Brien and Jay Gruden are a couple of names the Panthers are targeting, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Although I don't necessarily see either of them as fits, I do like going in this direction, which is to hire an offensive coordinator that has NFL head coaching experience. It pays off to have someone in the building that has called all of the shots before and knows how to be successful in this league. Officially promoting running backs coach Jeff Nixon or snagging a position coach from another team isn't going to be the solution. This team has to find an identity offensively and the only way that's going to happen is by hiring a guy that has done it before.
Re-sign Haason Reddick
A year ago, the Panthers struggled to get after the quarterback. Brian Burns was really the only one who consistently won his matchups and effected the quarterback. Signing Haason Reddick in free agency this offseason took care of that problem. It gave opposing offensive lines fits having to deal with both Burns and Reddick opposite of each other. Reddick finished the 2021 season with 65 tackles, 18 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks. Re-signing Reddick to a multi-year deal would be a huge boost for this young, promising defense.
Invest big money into the offensive line
Look, the offensive line is a total mess. Outside of Taylor Moton, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Rhule and the front office blowing the whole thing up and bringing in four new bodies. Rookie Brady Christensen did show some promise at left tackle over the final three weeks of the season, so maybe the focus needs to mainly be on the interior offensive line. Michael Jordan and John Miller both had issues in pass protection all season long. A lot of the leakage up front has come from the inside, so they need to make it a point of emphasis to upgrade those two spots. NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu seems like a good option if he is still available when the Panthers pick at No. 6 in the draft.
Scan QB trade market, make decision on Darnold
Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield, Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins, and Deshaun Watson are all names that will likely pop up in trade talks this offseason. Carolina has to be extremely careful with how they address this position after swinging and missing on both Bridgewater and Darnold in back-to-back offseasons. The Panthers could just keep Darnold for the 2022 season since he is already due the $18 million on his fifth-year option and it's going to be very difficult to facilitate a trade with his name in it. That said, if Carolina is somehow able to manage reeling in one of the aforementioned signal callers without sacrificing a ton of draft capital, mainly because they don't have it, then we could see a scenario where Carolina deals Darnold and foots most of the ball - similar to the Teddy Bridgewater trade last offseason.
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