Panthers Week 4 Snap Counts and What They Mean
The Carolina Panthers are almost a completely different team than they were a season ago. This is to be expected as the new coaching staff brings new philosophies that result in new players and schemes. Now that we are a quarter of the way through the 2020 season we are beginning to understand where this team is headed and which players will play a big role.
Quarterbacks
No surprise here that Teddy Bridgewater played 100% of the offensive snaps for the Panthers. Bridgewater has played exceptionally well over the last two weeks. He is beginning to settle into offensive coordinator Joe Brady's scheme quite nicely. After the win against the Cardinals, head coach Matt Rhule addressed his thoughts on the offense. "I think Joe is a great play-caller. I think Teddy [Bridgewater] played really well and played really clean and I think that helps."
This is Teddy's team moving forward. Expect him to remain as the Panthers' signal-caller all year long barring any unforeseen injury.
Running Backs
Mike Davis played 71% of the offensive snaps with Reggie Bonnafon getting in on 27%. Davis is another player that has really elevated his game over the past couple of weeks. He has certainly proved that he can handle a significant workload and produce in the running and short-yardage passing game. Bonnafon has looked explosive on his limited number of opportunities. He averaged a solid 5.3 yards per carry helping Carolina close out the game against the Cardinals.
Davis has played well enough to maintain a role when workhorse running back Christian McCaffrey returns from his ankle injury. Bonnafon suffered an ankle sprain himself and is set to hit IR. Expect a similar 75/25 split when McCaffrey returns to action with CMC seeing the majority of the action and Davis getting some short-yardage looks.
Wide Receivers
DJ Moore was on the field for 71% of the teams offensive plays, most by a Panthers' receiver. Robby Anderson was in on 57% followed by Curtis Samuel 47%. Anderson was the teams leading receiver with 99 yards through the air. He has looked like Bridgewater's go-to pass-catcher thus far.
Moore is the most complete wide receiver that Carolina has so it is expected that he is on the field the majority of the time. Anderson's playing time should increase from the 57% we saw last week. He is arguably the best player with the ball in his hands that the Panthers have without McCaffrey. Samuel looks to be the odd man out. Many thought (myself included) that the Joe Brady offense would feature a lot of Curtis Samuel. That does not appear to be the case, at least early on.
Tight Ends
Chris Manhertz played 77% of the offensive snaps and Ian Thomas saw 58%. Manhertz is the better blocking tight end of the two so it makes sense that he saw an increased snap count in a game where the Panthers jumped out to an early lead.
Much like with Curtis Samuel, Joe Brady's offense was supposed to feature the tight end position as a weapon in the passing game. It has not. Brady used the tight end frequently at LSU last year but that does not appear to be part of his gameplan with the Panthers.
Offensive Line
RT Taylor Moton, LG Chris Reed, and RG John Miller all played 100% of the offensive snaps. Center Matt Paradis missed two plays getting in on 97% of the action. LT was the wildcard with Greg Little receiving 71% and Trent Scott getting the remaining 29%.
This group played extremely well on Sunday. The offensive line usually goes overlooked and that should not be the case. They were a big part of Carolina's win over Arizona. Moton and Paradis have solidified their positions and their playing time should remain the same. It will be interesting to see how things shake out for the rest once LT Russell Okung returns to the starting line up.
Defensive Line
Brian Burns led the defensive line with 89% of snaps played. Kawann Short was close behind with 75%. As for the rookies, Derrick Brown saw 58% while Yetur Gross-Matos got in on 37%.
Expect this trend to continue. Brown and Gross-Matos will probably see a significant increase in playing time at some point this season as they get more comfortable. Burns and Short are the superstars of the D-line and will be on the field at the crucial points in the games going forward.
Linebackers
Shaq Thompson was in on 96% of the defensive snaps. Positionless Jeremy Chinn played 89% and Tahir Whitehead saw 53% of the playing time. Thompson is the clear "quarterback of the defense" if you will.
Chinn is a rare defensive mismatch that will continue to see the field a ton at all different positions. He leads all rookies in tackles and is an early Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Whitehead has struggled at times this season and should continue to be on the field around 50% of the time in this scheme.
Secondary
CB Rasul Douglas and S Tre Boston were the only two players to see 100% of the defensive snaps for Carolina in week four. S Juston Burris was close behind with 98% and CB Donte Jackson saw 72% of the action.
Douglas continues to impress and seems to be the No. 1 corner on this team. Both he and Boston have taken on the leadership role of this young defense and should continue to be on the field the majority of the time. "Tre is a really vocal guy. He has tremendous spirit." head coach Matt Rhule said after the game. The young defense needed some leadership and accountability early on. They seem to have found it in Douglas and Boston.
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