The Carolina Panthers come with a wealth of options heading into game one of the 2017 season.
The preseason has come and gone. Now, we are a few days away from the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Looking at how these past four games went for the Panthers, there’s a bubbling excitement around the team. These games do not “count”, but with the way the Panthers performed in key areas the last four weeks, it’s clear that Carolina is on track to improve from an abysmal 2016 season.
The biggest question mark surrounds franchise quarterback, Cam Newton. He’s coming off of a mediocre 2016 and shoulder surgery in the offseason. That and lingering back problems limited his appearance in the preseason and in early practices. He led a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in his only appearance during these games. Yet, that was still enough to leave Panthers head coach, Ron Rivera pleased with his progression.
The head man had this to say to David Newton of ESPN:
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"“I think he’s ready,” Rivera said. “You wish he’d had a few more snaps and played a little bit earlier in the preseason so we’d have more to go on. But what we saw, we liked.”"
The Panthers offense performed very well in each of these games, averaging 23 points per outing. With so many questions swirling around Newton’s effectiveness early in the season, it will be interesting to see how Carolina will implement Christian McCaffrey into the game plan. The rookie spent a lot of time on the field and gives the Panthers many different ways to use him. The expectation is that McCaffrey will get a lot of play from the very start, which is why his value in fantasy leagues exploded in recent weeks.
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Carolina also made the correct move in locking down Greg Olsen. Olsen has been one of the most consistent players on the roster and one of the best tight ends in the entire league. Olsen’s contract negotiations didn’t start off well, but he and the team reached an agreement around the use of incentives. Keeping him on the roster gives Newton a “safety” option of sort while keeping this roster at full strength.
The Panthers did a great job of spreading the ball around during the preseason. Multiple players saw time in both the rushing and receiving core, presenting a diverse option set for Newton. Even though names such as Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess and others are expected to get their targets and attempts, the number of offensive weapons on this roster is a compelling story to watch.
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Carolina is coming into the 2017 with a stacked offensive roster. Just like last season, expectations are high from a production standpoint. Newton has more weapons than he’s had in recent years, which puts him in the position to lessen the burden that was frequently on his shoulders. Now is the time to show that he can rely on his teammates to carry a larger burden because the toll of last season still lingers.