Carolina Panthers: Building An Effective Receiving Core

By Raphael Garcia | Jul 1, 2015

Wide receiver has long been a major concern to the Carolina Panthers. The departure of Steve Smith in 2013 sent away the owner of many of the team’s offensive records. Since then, the Panthers have long struggled to find a viable option to link with quarterback Cam Newton. With the return of Ted Ginn the team seems as if they have put together a solid unit of receivers for this coming season.

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Currently, the Panthers have a receiving unit that is comprised of Kelvin Benjamin, Jerricho Cotchery, Ginn and second-round draft pick Devin Funchess from Michigan. Throw in Tight End Greg Olsen and these five players seem like the targets that Newton has long needed.

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According to stats provided by ESPN, the Panthers passing offense ranked 19^th among all NFL teams in 2014. They gained a total of 3511 yards in the season which broke down to a mediocre 219 per game. Historically, the Panthers have been a team that is built around an effective run game versus that of a pass first attack. This may be a year where a transition occurs.

Olsen and Benjamin both earned more than 1000 yards in 2014. They attributed for nearly 53 percent of the team’s total passing yardage and 65 percent of the team’s receiving touchdowns. Cotchery was the next most active receiver with 580 yards of his own, to go with one touchdown.

Funchess isn’t the type of player that can stretch the field, but he adds another large body that can be a big target for Newton to throw the ball to. During his final year of college play in 2014 he brought down 62 receptions for 733 yards, mostly due to being a larger target on the Wolverines’ roster.

Ginn is the type of player that can immediately impact a game with his ability to get down the field. According to Pro Football Reference he averages 13.2 yards per catch. Even though his productivity has fallen off since being drafted in 2007 by the Miami Dolphins, Ginn’s speed is what the Panthers hope to take advantage of in 2015.

Nov 30, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Ted Ginn (19) catches a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Along with being a threat to break open big plays, Ginn is a weapon in the punt and kick return aspects of the game. His averages of 22.9 and 11.1 on kickoff and punt returns respectively are very important tools that he brings to the table this coming season.

According to a David Newton of ESPN, the job of returner is almost a lock for Ginn.

“Ginn has been among the top five in punt return average in the NFC the past five seasons. That, in addition to his speed at wide receiver, is why the Panthers gave the former Ohio State speedster a two-year, $4.2 million deal. He is the clear-cut favorite to win the job.”

The Panthers have a number of potent weapons on the offensive side of the ball. While they do not have a big name receiver that is on some of the other teams throughout the league, they have put together a core of players that are viable options for Newton at any point in the game. It will be interesting to see if 2015 is the year in which the Panthers change their offense to a pass-first attack.

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