NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs, Ravens remain hot as facilities begin to reopen

This offseason was full of change for the Carolina Panthers. They moved on from Ron Rivera who has been the head coach for them since 2011. Rivera was 76-63-1 but never had back-to-back winning seasons. Following losing seasons in 2018 and 2019, Carolina moved on and selected former Baylor and Temple head coach Matt Rhule as the replacement.

With Rhule on the staff, they made another tough call as they decided to part with Cam Newton, the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 when Rivera first joined the team. Newton has an MVP trophy under his belt and led the team to a Super Bowl but he never won it all and had struggled to stay healthy over the past two seasons.

In his place, the Panthers will be turning to Teddy Bridgewater who revived his career with the New Orleans Saints as the backup to Drew Brees. Bridgewater might not be as explosive a player as Newton but he’s a great fit for an offense that will lean heavily on Christian McCaffrey and needs an accurate quarterback that handles pressure well and doesn’t make mistakes.

For the Panthers, this season could be better than many expect due to their addition of Bridgewater. Having said that, they do play in one of the tougher divisions in the league and have a lot to prove before anyone can truly buy into what Rhule is selling.