What to Expect from Terrace Marshall Jr. in Year Two
The 2021 season didn't go as planned for Panthers wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. as he only hauled in 17 receptions for 138 yards in 13 games. He dealt with some injuries throughout the year which also threw a wrench into things. He suffered a concussion in Week 6 against Minnesota and toward the end of the season, he was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury.
Before being placed on IR, Marshall was considered to be a healthy scratch for the Week 12 matchup in Miami against the Dolphins. At the time, it felt like Marshall had completely fallen out of the rotation at receiver. The day following the game, head coach Matt Rhule gave an explanation for the move.
"We wanted Matt Cole up for special teams. We knew it was going to be 80 degrees down there. Myles Hartsfield has been doing a lot being the gunner with Stanley Thomas-Oliver III being out running down, so we wanted to have Matt Cole up to cover kicks and help us in the special teams game. We thought special teams would be big in this game. Obviously, we had the punt block against us. We had the punt fake which was good. We did that with Matt then I think we thought that matchup-wise vs man, just having Shi's speed out there would help us. I don't think it's an indication for Terrace long-term. I would expect Terrace to probably be up in another game. We just knew that this game was going to be a zero blitz, man-to-man."
Marshall did return, playing in games against Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans. In those three games, he made three catches for 22 yards.
With a bit of a rocky start to his career, many questioned if Marshall was a bust after just one season. It's still too early to tell if he's truly turned the corner or not, but the coaching staff has had nothing but great things to say about him since the start of offseason workouts.
"Oh yeah, I think Terrace is already there at that position, at that spot," head coach Matt Rhule said when asked if he could be a No. 3 receiver. "I always struggle with who's the No. 1 receiver, who's a No. 2 because they're all kind of out there and playing at the same time. But we need playmakers. Terrace is healthy and he's got a great process right now. He's one of the first guys in the building every morning, he's learning at a high level, and I think he's challenging himself. The last few days he's made some plays which we really need him to do."
Marshall had a big day making plays during Wednesday's practice which included reeling in a deep ball from Sam Darnold for a touchdown. He showed some of the same flashes that Panthers fans were able to see during last preseason, but this time, there seems to be more promise that comes with it.
"Going through his tape last year there was some flashes of good football and we've certainly seen that so far," said offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. "He's a young guy that seems to have a chip on his shoulder. He's out there trying to learn what we're trying to get done from an offensive perspective and I see a guy that can play inside, can play outside. I like what I see and I like the look in his eye."
Taking tremendous care of your body and putting in long hours are two things athletes must do to have a high level of success at the professional level. Rhule has seen exactly that from the second-year receiver which has translated to success on the field.
"Being healthy number one and he's really, really learning the offense. At the end of the day, we could meet all day and we do meet all day, but you learn from reps and doing. So, him having a chance to go do, you start to have success which leads to confidence which leads to more success. I don't want to understate how hard he's working. He's here every morning at 5:30 and some guys are stay late guys, but you have to put extra time in and he's doing that."
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