The Panthers are definitely losing their starting center for next season and they’re likely set at key positions like middle linebacker, running back, and starting cornerbacks.
After that, everything is unclear.
With the long-term health of quarterback Cam Newton and tight end Greg Olsen up in the air, the defensive line – ineffective in it’s 2018 iteration – in flux, assured retirement of Ryan Kalil and the possible retirement of Julius Peppers and Thomas Davis, the youth movement at wide receiver and a makeshift/reshuffled/misfit offensive line that played well for the first half of the season before become more the sum than the parts the second half, all up in the air – not to mention the backup quarterback position and help needed in the secondary, there is a lot more weight on the ‘questions’ side of the scale heading into the offseason.
Oh, and let’s not forget that Ron Rivera and Marty Hurney’s seats have certainly heated up over the past seven weeks while the Panthers fell from 6-2 to 6-9, on the verge of the first time in NFL history to start 6-2 and finish four games under .500. While the questions off the field will need to be answered, Rivera has made it very clear that although he’s talked to the one man that has the answers, he isn’t sharing whether Tepper has filled him in – one way or the other.
Let’s take a look at some of the key positions that will look different in 2019 – and how they might change.
Offensive Line
We know for a fact that Ryan Kalil will be playing his final game on Sunday, but those around him will also change – while Trai Turner will likely be a stalwart at right guard for the forseeable future as he’s under contract until 2022, the other four slots on the line are in flux. Greg Van Roten has performed admirably – he’s the only offensive player to play 100% of the snaps in 2018 – at left guard, he also has experience playing center and would be willing to do whatever is necessary for the team to be successful.
“I’ve enjoyed playing guard, but whatever the team needs me to do, I can do,” said Van Roten. “If they need me to bounce back [to center], I can do that, if they need me to be a backup, I can do that, too. I’m not a guy that says ‘Oh, I should be this guy,’ I’m a team player and that’s what I’m going to continue to do – it got me this far.”
The team also has veteran Swiss Army Knife Tyler Larsen that can play multiple positions along the line as well as rookies Taylor Hearn and Brendan Mahon that could challenge Larsen for the guard slot if the team decides to move Van Roten back to center – don’t be surprised if they invest some draft capital in the middle rounds on an interior lineman as well.
And now the tackles – while the team has loved what they’ve seen from Taylor Moton at right tackle this season, don’t be surprised if he flips to the other side of the line for 2019 and the Panthers attempt to bring back Daryl Williams, whose price tag likely is lower now than it was a year ago when the Panthers attempted to extend his contract. A combination of Williams, 26, and Moton, 24, is quite the young pair on the outside. The albatross on the outside is Matt Kalil, who will end up missing the entire 2018 season with a knee injury after reportedly saying he was ready to return earlier in the year – that may have signaled the end for Kalil, even if the Panthers have to eat $14.7m in dead money to cut him.
Quarterback
Obviously, Cam Newton’s shoulder remains the #1 question for the Carolina Panthers this offseason, but they’ll need to be prepared if their franchise quarterback either isn’t ready to go to start the season or if he suffers the same degradation of the joint he did in 2018 – they currently have no quarterback under contract for next season aside from #1.
One player who would love to be back is 2018 backup Taylor Heinicke, who played well in his only start before injuring his left elbow and returning to throw three interceptions – offensive coordinator Norv Turner said Heinicke’s opening drive was as good as any drive the Panthers had had all season.
“I would love to stay here,” said Heinicke. “I want to stay here, I want to be here – that’s up to those guys upstairs, but hopefully they do and we’ll see.”
Whether they decide to stick with Heinicke, find a veteran to backup Newton or draft someone in the mid-to-late rounds as a potential heir to Newton’s throne, backup quarterback has to be a point of emphasis this offseason instead of an afterthought.
Wide Receiver
While it would appear that Funchess’ days in Carolina are winding to a close – the mercurial wide receiver didn’t want to discuss his reduced role or intentions for the offseason, but his snap counts have gotten significantly lower over the past month as the team grooms it’s young wideout tandem of DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel on the outside – slot receiver Jarius Wright appears to have lived up to his reputation as clutch playmaker and third-down security blanket this season – expect to see him back in 2019. Torrey Smith’s contract is non-guaranteed and his lack of targets and snaps, although he has been injured since Week 7, seem to indicate that he won’t be a part of the Panthers future plans either – but it may be worthwhile to keep him around at least through training camp, his locker room presence is invaluable when your seemingly-top-two guys are both under 23 years old.
Damiere Byrd, who has had three injured reserve stints in two seasons, is a restricted free agent and may be back strictly for his special teams involvement. If that’s the case, expect the Panthers to seek out at least one bigger wide receiver with the more traditional body type, either through the mid-to-late rounds of the draft (they do have two comp picks) or free agency.
Tight End
In two of the games since Greg Olsen went on injured reserve, the Panthers two backup tight ends – Chris Manhertz and Ian Thomas – have both caught touchdowns, albeit in extremely different situations; Manhertz, more of the blocking tight end, had his 50-yard catch-and-run on a trick play while Thomas has grown into a real threat at the tight end position with 20 catches for 185 yards in the past four contests. Whether Olsen, who will be 34 in March and will count for $7.1m against the 2019 cap, will be back remains to be seen – it will likely be a combination of Olsen’s health and perhaps willingness to renegotiate a more team-friendly cap number that will ultimately decide his fate; with Thomas looking as if he’s ready to take over as the pass catcher of the future, either way, expect Thomas to be on the field more than he was during his rookie campaign.
“I think there’s a lot of uncertainty every year, especially when you get to my age,” Olsen said this week. “It’s one of those things where you can’t get too far ahead – the reality in this league is you get to my age and sometimes, the decision is made for you – I’m not saying that’s the case or anyone has alluded to that, but those are conversations that we’ll have and we’ll go from there.”
Manhertz, who has been with the team for the past two seasons and is a restricted free agent, will likely be back – especially if the current coaching regime remains.
Running Backs
While Ron Rivera has been saying for the past few weeks that they will need to find someone to help take the load off of Christian McCaffrey’s back, don’t expect his foundational role in the Norv Turner offense to shrink significantly – the team will be searching for a backup running back for McCaffrey – Cameron Artis-Payne, who hasn’t gotten an “honest look” in the four years he’s been here, won’t be back.
Up Next: Defensive Changes AKA The End Of An Era
