Carolina Panthers: Grading the 2017 offseason before OTAs
The Carolina Panthers have had a productive offseason after a very mediocre 2016, but what overall grade does it deserve before OTAs begin?
The Carolina Panthers have been a must-watch team during the 2017 offseason. They were exposed in many ways last season as they were expected to do much better and appeared to be a stronger team on paper. The team has made key steps this offseason, locking in both long-term pieces in addition to those that can have an immediate impact.
Starting with released players, the Panthers let two players go that had played a big part in this team’s recent success. Paul Soliai and Mike Tolbert were both released in February, catching many people off guard. Tolbert, much like Steve Smith years prior, was considered a work horse for this offensive unit. Even though he was with the team for only five years, it seemed like he’d become a consistent part of this running force, with a style that embodied the Panthers rushing attack.
When Soliai joined the Panthers leading into last season, he was expected to be a steady part of the defensive line. However, his production was mediocre at best, ultimately leading to his release. Carolina has rebuilt its defensive line through key moves and Soliai’s spot has gone to other players.
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The Panthers found a way to re-sign Mario Addison and Kawann Short; two players that have been important pieces in this defense. When coupled with the re-signing of Charles Johnson, the Panthers are working hard to keep much of the defensive front together.
Change continues to impact the defensive backfield as the team has continued to struggle in finding a star player for that group. Richard Sherman was mentioned as a potential option, but the organization was unable to bring them in. The team re-signed Teddy Williams while also bringing in Corn Elder, Mike Adams and Colin Jones.
However, none of these players leap off the page as someone who has franchise defensive back field skills. After addressing this concern through the 2016 draft, the Panthers haven’t done much else to inject improvement into this group.
Drafting Christian McCaffrey, Curtis Samuel and Taylor Moton are three moves that can immediately benefit this offense. McCaffrey and Samuel both have big play ability and Moton comes at a time where the Panthers are struggling to find consistency on the offensive line. McCaffrey has the opportunity to prove he’s the long term solution to that role as Cameron Artis-Payne hasn’t worked out in that role.
So where does that leave the Panthers’ overall grade for the 2017 offseason with OTAs looming?
Grade: B+
Next: Biggest 2017 offseason story for Panthers, each team
Overall, the Panthers have put together a solid set of moves during the 2017 offseason. Even though the organization hasn’t addressed the glaring absence of a leader in the secondary, the team has brought in players in other key areas to help address concerns in other areas. As the season draws closer it will be interesting to see how these pieces fit into the 2017 NFL season.