CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Anyone who’s watched the Carolina Panthers this season knows they’re bad. Actually, that might be an understatement. They’ve been mostly terrible with the bright spots few and far between.
But how do they stack up to the rest of the NFL? In a season where there aren’t many teams pulling away from the pack, you could convince yourself the Panthers aren’t that far off. Especially in the NFC South, where 8 or 9 wins might be enough to clinch a playoff spot for Tampa Bay, Atlanta or New Orleans.
Well, they are that far off. In fact, one NFL draft expert says Carolina could be a half-dozen starters away from just an average offense.
“They have the worst offensive line, and the worst receiving corps in the NFL for my money,” Locked On’s Mike Renner said. “That’s a combination to not look good if that’s not too obvious.”
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young has struggled, throwing just nine touchdowns this year. He’s also been sacked 51 times, second-most in the NFL. Renner said Young has played like a rookie, which isn’t necessarily a sign of things to come, but his support cast is seemingly miles away from being good enough to be a playoff contender.
“You’re about five to six starters away from even fielding an average offense at the NFL level,” Renner said. “And that’s a lot to ask.”
Locked On’s Ross Jackson agreed, and with the Panthers trading multiple first-round picks to secure Young at No. 1 overall in this past year’s draft, it’s all about finding quality free agents. General manager Scott Fitterer added numerous free agents last offseason, including Adam Thielen. But the other acquisitions, like running back Miles Sanders and receiver D.J. Chark, haven’t contributed as much as the team hoped. The team’s sluggish offense was the primary reason Frank Reich was fired after just 11 games.
“They’re the worst team based upon what they have and what they don’t have,” Jackson said. “You need those five starters, but you don’t have the draft capital to get them, so you’ve got to hope on free agency. Can you convince free agents to show up? It may come down to the coaching hire.”
And that’s where things get interesting. David Tepper hasn’t divulged publicly any candidates for the team’s vacancy, but there’s a sense he wants an offensive-minded coach to develop Young. But there are also rumors (thanks, in part, to Cam Newton) that the Panthers would like to hire legendary coach Bill Belichick.
Whoever Tepper hires, Renner said it’s a matter of Tepper understanding it’s not his job to manage the on-field product. Carolina reportedly had a “Hunger Games” culture, with assistants undermining Reich and the organization having an “every man for himself” mentality when things were spiraling earlier this season. The end result was Reich and several assistants being fired by Thanksgiving.
“Do you want your owner calling plays for you? If so, that’s the job for you,” he said.
The Panthers host the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Eve at 1 p.m. With a win, Carolina will have its first two-game winning streak since weeks 12 and 14 last season, when Steve Wilks rallied the club to a 6-6 finish after Matt Rhule’s firing.
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