The Panthers' Christmas Wishlist
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the Carolinas
Not a creature was stirring, not even Sir Purr
The jerseys were hung in their lockers with care,
In hopes that Tepper Claus soon would be there…with his wallet wide open.
Merry Christmas! I hope that this is a restful time for you and your families as you celebrate the season in whichever way you decide.
This time is year is marked by cookies, egg nog, fruit cakes, stockings, shopping, and most importantly for this exercise, a stamped envelope sent to the North Pole containing a wishlist for Santa Claus.
This list isn’t being sent to Old Saint Nick, but consider this a wishlist being sent to Mint Street. Here’s a Panthers Christmas wishlist for 2023.
Stability within the coaching staff and front office
This isn’t the sexiest wish in the world, but it’s practical and important. The equivalent of the socks your grandma stuffs in your stocking.
Carolina is desperate for some consistency amongst decision-makers. Chris Tabor is the fourth man to lead the team on game days in the last two seasons and the Panthers are facing their second full-blown head coaching search in as many seasons.
The speculation and dreaming about head coaching candidates is fun and exciting, but stability and consistency wins games and Carolina ain’t doing that these days. The Panthers’ need to hire the right head coach in 2024 and turn this whole operation around.
A true superstar wide receiver
This is the sexiest wish in the world. If stability is the socks in the stocking, this is the Red Ryder BB gun wrapped under the tree.
UNC Charlotte’s head football coach refers to offensive weapons as “erasers.” Players that can erase mistakes by teammates on his unit and can change games singlehandedly. Carolina has none of those in their skill position unit.
The Panthers’ receiving room is stuffed with players that could thrive in a secondary role, but they’re in need of a leading man to take the top off defenses. If we’re being bold in our wishes, Tee Higgins is the man for the job. The big-bodied, acrobatic receiver is dominant on the outside and would give Bryce Young the exact kind of target he needs to thrive.
If it’s not Higgins, Mike Evans, Michael Pittman, and Calvin Ridley are all free agents that Carolina could try to woo this summer to bring an explosive element to the offense that they’ve sorely lacked in 2023.
Continued success on defense
Of the main difference makers on defense, Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu are the only two slated for free agency. There are more rotational defenders hitting the open market (Yetur Gross-Matos, CJ Henderson, Kamu Grugier-Hill), but those players can be retained on smaller deals or replaced in free agency or the draft.
The 2024 Panthers defense may look similar to the 2023 version, but that’s not all bad. The statistics don’t bear it out, but Carolina’s defense has been solid all season. While they don’t turn the ball over at a high level, they’ve done well with the hand they’ve been dealt. The inept offense has put the defense in impossible situations week after week, but the defense has stood up more times than not.
Pairing this defense with a more successful offense is a formula that would make Carolina interesting come 2024.
