Players to Watch: Panthers vs Browns
As with the beginning of any new NFL season, there are tons of storylines to watch heading in Carolina's season opener this weekend against the Cleveland Browns.
What will the offense look like with a new coordinator and quarterback? Is Baker Mayfield that guy? Is Christian McCaffrey going to be healthy? Does the pass rush have enough juice without Reddick? Are we going to see any unexpected faces become big contributors this season?
You could go on for hours. And that's without even mentioning the Browns yet.
While there are plenty of places we can key in on, I want to direct you to a couple of players to watch from each team this weekend.
Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb- Running Back
Chubb has been the focal point of one of the league’s premier rushing attacks for four years now. He was second in the league in rushing last season and is one of only six players all-time to have 950+ rushing yards & 8+ touchdowns over their first four seasons.
With Jacoby Brissett set to helm the offense for the first eleven games of the season, the weight of success for this Browns offensive unit will heavily fall on Chubb’s shoulders. How he fares Week 1 against a Carolina defensive unit that ranked 8th in yards per rushing attempt allowed last season should give us a strong idea of how much success the Browns will see in 2022.
Myles Garrett- Edge
Garrett currently sits as the second-leading favorite to lead the league in sacks this season. After setting a Cleveland franchise record last year with 16, even loftier goals will be on the All-Pro’s mind this season.
While the Panthers have made some key additions to the offensive line, it is still week 1 and one of the best indicators of success for the unit is snaps played together. Expect Garrett to be as disruptive as ever and make life very difficult for whichever Panthers are unfortunate enough to fall in his path.
Carolina Panthers-
Ickey Ekwonu- Left Tackle
Ekwonu has a tall task in front of him as he heads into his first career NFL game. The rookie with be starting at left tackle, where he will spend much of his day facing off again All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett and his Pro Bowl teammate Jadaveon Clowney. I don’t think there could’ve been a harder week one matchup for the promising rookie. Don’t look for Ekwonu to be perfect this weekend, as he almost assuredly won’t be. Don’t look for him to avoid giving up any pressures, because he probably will.
Do look for how he responds to adversity though. Does he have the support of teammates and coaches? Is he able to stay calm and steady even if things aren't going right? Is he playing well in the run game, where he is much further along in his development than his pass-blocking? Are there good reps mixed in there? A flawless performance should not be expected, but how Ekwonu responds to a matchup against two of the NFL’s best can tell us a lot about what to expect going forward.
Matt Ioannidis- Defensive Line
A new addition to the Carolina defense this season, Ioannidis has been one of the most versatile and disruptive pass rushers in the NFL- when he’s on the field. From 2017-2019, Ioannidis ranked 9th, 15th, and 8th respectively in pressures among interior linemen. The issue is that between a season-ending bicep injury in 2020 and some strong talent around him in Washington, he’s only started 6 of 19 games since then.
Ioannidis certainly had some juice in the past, the question is whether or not it is still there. If so, the Panthers will benefit from some much-needed pass-rushing chops from someone other than Brian Burns. If not, expect the Panthers' defense to take a big step back this season when it comes to pressuring quarterbacks.
