Carolina Panthers: Value in keeping Ed Dickson
Ed Dickson stepped into the Carolina Panthers offense to fill the void of Greg Olsen. Now, it will be interesting to see if the Panthers bring him back for another season.
Depth is an important aspect of success in professional sports. Teams need to be able to count on the players on their bench to fill in on a moment’s notice. The Carolina Panthers have built a roster that includes a number of key players, ready to step up when needed. Once such player is Ed Dickson, who’s properly fulfilled the requirements of being a role player who is valuable to this organization, especially after the 2017 season.
When talking about Panther tight ends, the conversation usually ends and begins with Greg Olsen. Since joining the Panthers in 2011, Olsen has continued to enjoy breakout year after breakout year. In three of the last four seasons, he caught more than 75 passes and gained more than 1,000 yards.
He’s the only tight end in NFL history to record three consecutive years of 1,000 yards receiving. His consistent production has helped him become one of the most important weapons in the league and much of the success that Cam Newton has enjoyed is helped by Olsen’s presence.
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That brings the talk to the 2017 season in which Olsen only played in seven games, catching 17 passes for 191 yards and 1 touchdown; career lows across the board. During the second game of the season he would injure his foot, forcing him out for majority of the year. He tried to make a return, but was further limited by the injury, forcing the Panthers to shut him down for the season.
That brings the conversation to Dickson. Since being brought into the Carolina organization in 2014, Dickson was expected to fill in as Olsen’s backup and be a utility player as needed. This is exactly how he performed. His statistical production does not leap off of the page, but it’s enough to show that he’s a consistent player that Carolina could rely on.
When Olsen went down to injury he stepped in, and while he didn’t put up the same type of numbers as Olsen, he gave Newton a reliable target in the offense, snagging 30 of the 48 passes thrown his way.
As the countdown begins to the 2018 season, it will be interesting to see if Carolina keeps Dickson on the roster. He’s an unrestricted free agent who could potentially drive his asking price into the $3 million dollar bracket. The Panthers can take a risk and allow him to walk away and look for other options via the draft, but that goes against the common practice to keep as much of the core players together as possible.
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His knowledge of the offense comes at a valuable time because not only is Coach Ron Rivera making wholesale changes to the coaching staff, there’s still no telling to how healthy Olsen will be next season. If he struggles to remain on the field the Panthers will have to count on Dickson once again. That experience with this team makes him a valuable option in this scenario.
The NFL offseason always comes with a lot of intrigue. Teams across the league look to make the moves that will push them to an improved season. Ed Dickson is a dependable option for any offense and it will be interesting to see if the Panthers keep him in Charlotte.