- MaybeWelcome 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: Is a trio of Devin Funchess, Curtis Samuel and Damiere Byrd enough? Or is it just a good start?
- Running Backs: Will Jonathan Stewart become a cap casualty? Is Cameron Artis-Payne due for a bigger role?
- Cornerbacks: Should the Panthers be content with their young core? Was their talent hurt by Steve Wilks’ blitz-heavy scheme?
- Tight Ends: After Greg Olsen missed over half of the 2017 season, will Manhertz or Dickson be back on the roster? What’s Alex Armah’s role?
The Panthers played their preferred starting lineup across the offensive line only twice this season: First in the season opening win over San Francisco that ended with a demoralizing 13-play drive that spanned over half the fourth quarter and featured exclusively rushes; then again exactly three months later against Minnesota, when they exploded for over 350 yards and four touchdowns on the NFL’s third-ranked defense. Extrapolating much from this small sample size is somewhat suspect, but it is certainly true that the Panthers’ offensive line has not been a picture of health this season; while this has obvious ramifications in terms of a drop in quality, it also disrupts a position grouping where chemistry and communication are incredibly important. With that in mind, how should the Panthers’ offensive linemen be judged based on 2017, and what does 2018 have in store?
The Gruesome Twosome
Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell are arguably the best guard pair in the NFL; neither allowed a sack all season and the Panthers averaged 5.4 and 3.9 yards per carry rushing over right guard and left guard respectively. While Turner’s first season after signing a monster contract might not have produced as many GIF-worthy moments as his first three, he is still one of the absolute best run blockers in the NFL; he has the power to drive people backwards, exhibits excellent body control and moves well in space. In pass protection, he sets a strong base and uses his hands well, though he can sometimes get caught a little high, making him susceptible to power rushers. Turner will start next season only 25 years old; with time, room to grow and under contract through 2021, right guard is looking like a strength for the foreseeable future for the Panthers.
Andrew Norwell might not be the dominant run blocker that Turner is, but he is one of the best pass protectors in the NFL and is still an above-average run blocker. What is also true is that the NFL is well aware of just how good Norwell is, hence being named a 2017 All-Pro and rumors floating about the size of the offer Giants GM and the man who drafted Norwell, Dave Gettleman, is planning to offer the big guy should he hit free agency; as such, he will generate a significant salary this offseason. This might seem obvious, but the Panthers need to pay Norwell; as with Luke Kuechly, there is no doubt that the best player at a given position is worth the money. While Norwell’s contract will almost certainly average over $13 million a year, by backloading it somewhat, the Panthers should be able to resign Norwell while also allowing them to retain their other free agents; at the very least, Norwell deserves the franchise tag.
Tackle Troubles
If neither of the Panthers’ starting guards allowed a sack all season, the remaining sacks on the roster must fall on the other areas of the offensive line. Many of those have fallen on Matt Kalil, whose first season in Carolina has been extremely mixed; at times, Kalil has shown all of the flashes that caused the Panthers to give him a long-term contract and a preseason injury and late-season illness have not helped his struggles. With that being said, something that plagued Kalil’s 2017 campaign was mental errors; getting him more mentally engaged in the offense should be seen as a priority. Even with those issues, the Panthers are almost certain to stick with Kalil next season due to his moments of strong play, his sizable contract and a lack of other options. If Kalil’s play doesn’t improve next season, however, the Panthers will be able to save themselves nearly $6 million by releasing him before the 2019 season; that knowledge should hopefully stimulate Kalil to continue his improvement.
Daryl Williams was named a second team All-Pro this season, and while it is certainly true that he performed well through much of the latter half of the season, there are still some noticeable weaknesses in his game. He has a tendency to get quite high, making him vulnerable to power rushers; he can sometimes struggle to contain elite speed rushers and he doesn’t move very well in space. As the season went on, the Panthers improved how they used him on early downs and shifted help his way in order to counter speed rushers on obvious passing downs. Despite his All-Pro status, Williams may enter training camp competing for his job with Taylor Moton, but should ultimately be the Panthers’ starting right tackle come Week 1.
The final piece of the tackle puzzle is Moton. The second-rounder out of Western Michigan has played sparingly in jumbo packages throughout the season but hasn’t seen any snaps at either tackle spot and at this stage, the Panthers will either be looking for him to compete for a starting role next season or beginning to realize that they have missed on this particular pick. Moton did show promise in college and in the preseason; while his play height continues to be a work in progress, there should be a real expectation of him strongly competing to be the Panthers’ starting right tackle next season. Even if he doesn’t win the job, it is important that the Panthers work out what it is they have in Moton, sooner rather than later.
Tackle has been an ongoing area of concern for the Panthers, and the 2017 season won’t have put any of those concerns to bed. All three tackles have shown promise and the Panthers may well have the making of a good offensive line already on the roster; Kalil will almost certainly start next season at left tackle, and with Williams and Moton likely competing for the right tackle spot, it would be surprising to see the Panthers expend further assets on this area this offseason. If the tackles can’t step up, then 2019 could well be one of significant change at this position, but fans looking for the Panthers to go out and commit either money or draft picks here in a significant way might well be disappointed.
Center of Attention
When he has been healthy, Ryan Kalil is still an excellent NFL center; when Kalil plays, the Panthers concede sacks at a rate 30% below their opponents’ season averages and average nearly half a yard more per carry on the ground. With Kalil and Turner in the lineup they improve to 36% below their opponents’ average and nearly a yard more per carry; his value to this team cannot be overstated and despite his recent injury history, it would be hard to imagine the Panthers moving on from him in the final year of his career. Expect the Panthers to ask the elder Kalil to take a pay cut to play out his contract on the same offensive line as his brother.
While Tyler Larsen wasn’t awful for the Panthers this season, but he wasn’t exactly stellar, especially in pass protection. Given his ability to play across the interior of the offensive line and his expected low cap number as an exclusive rights free agent, Larsen will almost certainly be back next year; he’ll likely be on the active roster, but this does raise questions. The Panthers need to start planning for life after Kalil; while it would be surprising to see the Panthers draft a center with an early pick, it could well be on the table from round three and onwards. Don’t rule out the possibility of finding a Kalil replacement if they feel as if Larsen is not the future in the middle of the line.
Depth Options
While Larsen and Moton will likely be back next season as depth options, apart from that, the depth at the position is highly questionable. John Theus is under contract next season but could be a cap casualty, and Clausell, Van Roten, Silatolu, France and Yankey might well be back for training camp. While Van Roten seems to have impressed the coaches enough to remain on the active roster for much of the season and already has a new contract signed, Silatolu has played very poorly when he has been called upon; Yankey, France and Clausell are all complete unknowns at the NFL level and may be nothing more than camp bodies at this point. Adding offensive line depth across the board, either through low-value free agents or late-round draft picks/undrafted free agents, will be a significant priority. The Panthers have struggled with injuries on the offensive line the past couple of seasons, and while some of that can be put down to bad luck, they need to do a better job of protecting themselves against such bad luck.
