Is Robby Anderson the Panthers No. 1 Wide Receiver?
Earlier this week, the Carolina Panthers stunned the NFL landscape by signing free agent wide receiver Robby Anderson to a two-year, $20 million deal. This is mostly surprising considering that the Panthers have limited cap space and they likely won’t be contending in 2020.
However, going to a clear contender wasn’t the main focus in Anderson’s free agent game plan, Instead, it appears that he wanted familiarity and stability - a place where he knew exactly what he was signing up for. By signing with the Panthers, Anderson now reunites with Matt Rhule, who was his head coach during his college days at Temple. He has a solid understanding of Rhule’s approach to the game and what he expects out of his players.
Over the course of the past few years, Anderson has found himself in some off-the-field issues. Signing with Carolina may have been the perfect place for him to sign, knowing that Rhule will keep him in line.
So, everything about this signing makes sense, but the big question is: will Anderson be the team’s No. 1 wide receiver?
Being a No. 1 receiver requires someone that can be a reliable target on any down, in any situation. For Anderson, he’s reliable to hit for deep, but still needs to improve his all around game to become a No. 1 option. For now, that title belongs to third-year man D.J. Moore.
Moore, himself, also has question marks surrounding areas of his game that keep guys like former Panther Steve Smith Sr. from considering him as “the guy”.
In a perfect world, Moore would be your No. 2A, while Anderson would be your No. 2B. Anderson still has a lot of room to grow as a receiver and should develop at a faster rate in Rhule’s system.
So, if neither Moore or Anderson are a No. 1 receiver, who should the Panthers target to fill that role in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
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