Welcome to our offseason series detailing the Panthers offseason needs and how they might address them. Be it through the draft, free agency, or the answer being “on the roster”, the Panthers will need to fill holes all across their roster to field a full 53 heading into 2018. No matter how set the Panthers may seem at a position, there is no reason why the Panthers can’t constantly get better; that will start with an open and honest evaluation of who is on the roster currently, how they performed in 2017 and whether those players will be returning.
Previously, on “Evaluating The Cupboard”:
- Quarterbacks: Will Derek Anderson be back? Is Garrett Gilbert the future backup?
Wide Receivers
If the final stretch of regular season games is anything to go by, the Panthers wide receiver group is in need of significant help; however, it cannot be overstated how significant the loss of both Damiere Byrd and Curtis Samuel was for the Panthers. At no point during the 2017 season did the Panthers have Samuel, Byrd and Devin Funchess on the field as a grouping together; as such, it is hard to tell exactly what 2018’s receiver grouping might look like if Byrd returns to join Funchess and Samuel in 2018. With that being said, what can 2017 tell us about next season’s group?
Funchess’s Final Chance
Devin Funchess is a good receiver in the NFL. He uses his frame well to make contested catches, has good hands, runs nice routes and is highly athletic for 6’5″ receiver; what he hasn’t been able to do, however, is put all of this together in one season for the Panthers. Some of that is understandable, as in his first 32 games he was targeted five times or more just 10 times; going 26-62 for 393 yards and five touchdowns in those ten games. 2017 saw a significant increase in his usage, however, and through the first eight games of the season he was targeted 52 times, catching 29 passes for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns. While his targets didn’t increase significantly with Benjamin gone for the second half of the season, his production did; the 2015 second-round pick caught 30 passes on 56 targets for 455 yards and 5 touchdowns in the second half of the season. If he can simply maintain that pace over the course of a whole season he will, based on 2017 numbers, rank in the top 25 in receiving yards and second in the NFL in touchdowns.
His touchdown totals are certainly impressive; to have one-in-six catches go for a touchdown is exceptional, if not unbelievable. A major step for Funchess, and indeed the Panthers offense next season will be simply getting him more targets. Of the receivers to put up as many yards and touchdowns this season, only Stefon Diggs, Doug Baldwin, Marvin Jones and Antonio Brown did so with the efficiency that Funchess showed over the second half of the season; getting the ball to him more often is going to be a priority in 2018.
If Funchess can take his numbers to the next level in his contract year, he would vault himself among the best receivers in the NFL, but a significant factor in him being able to do this will be the Panthers’ ability to prevent coverages from tilting towards Funchess by establishing other receiving options on the outside.
Unfulfilled Promises
Curtis Samuel and Damiere Byrd have played in a combined 18 career games, catching 26 passes on 44 targets for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns; yet, between the two of them, they have a chance of becoming a significant part of the Panthers’ offense. Both of them have elite deep speed, run sharp routes and have decent hands, ideal for top-level slot receivers with the ability to stretch the field from the outside. It is not beyond the realms of possibility to see one or both of them develop into Emmanuel Sanders-style threats for the Panthers should they be able to stay healthy.
While they both need to put a lot more tape together to be considered close to Sanders’ class, there is a lot to be excited about. Before he went down with injury, Samuel’s performances were getting stronger and stronger, and with Cam Newton’s shoulder being fully healthy come training camp, there should be an expectation of him emerging as a legitimate deep threat and maybe more. Byrd missed much of the early season for the Panthers, and was only on the field for very limited snaps, but his performances when he was asked to step in opposite Funchess were very promising. Through a little more than two games as a starter, he caught 9 passes on 11 targets for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns. These might not be gaudy numbers but, as with Samuel and even Funchess to a degree, they are highly efficient, albeit on a small sample size.
Samuel is under contract for another three years and Byrd can be brought back cheaply as an exclusive-rights free agent; if they can stay healthy and produce anywhere near the potential they have flashed, the Panthers will likely have a far more potent receiving attack than in 2017 even without bringing anyone in from the outside.
The Other Guys
When Kelvin Benjamin was traded and Samuel went down with an injury, the door was open for Russell Shepard to stake his claim as a starting receiver in the NFL; unfortunately for everyone involved, he didn’t rise to the occasion. Shepard’s season started well, with a 40 yard catch-and-run touchdown in San Francisco; apart from that play, he managed just 16 catches on 32 targets for 162 yards and no touchdowns over the final 15 games of the season. While Shepard has been a useful contributor on special teams, it would be very surprising if he was above the likes of Byrd and Samuel on the depth chart to start next season. What’s more, the Panthers could save $2.1 million against the cap by releasing him next season, and should they believe him to be replaceable on special teams, that number will start to make his roster spot highly uncertain.
Brenton Bersin seems to be eternally on the edge of the roster, whether just outside or just inside of it. While he is hardly the most impressive athletic specimen on the Panthers’ roster, he does run nice routes and barring a noticeable drop, does have decent hands. The Panthers will almost certainly look to bring Bersin back for training camp at minimal expense, though his roster spot is far from secure. Kaelin Clay is in a similar situation, as while he did some nice things this past season, he has also had too many drops and muffed a costly punt. At minimal cost, he will likely be back to compete for a roster spot, even if only as a special teamer; Clay is another wideout that the Panthers won’t want to rely on going into the regular season.
Mose Frazier didn’t record a catch or a target during the regular season, and is all but certain not to be on the Panthers’ regular season roster, but again, could be around to compete in training camp. Charles Johnson is technically a pending free agent, but it would be hugely surprising for the Panthers to bring him back. The final player on the Panthers’ roster, and somewhat of a forgotten storyline, is Fred Ross. Ross played well in training camp before going down with injury and possibly stands a chance of making the active roster if he is brought back. However, should the Panthers need the cap space it also wouldn’t be shocking to see him released.
Outlook
Funchess, Byrd and Samuel might well be the basis for a good receiving group for the Panthers; Fred Ross and Kaelin Clay have flashed talent at times and Shepard and Bersin should at least create a base level of competition in training camp. None of the Panthers’ receivers expecting to be back next year are going to attract a lot of money on the open market, and so it would be surprising if most of the group aren’t back next year. With that, the Panthers would be foolish not to add to the group for the right price; a low-cost veteran free agent or a mid-round draft pick (or both) is certainly not out of the question, perhaps even a necessity.
Offseason Priority: Medium-High
