So What Does Carolina Have On Its Mind?

It’s been a rough few years for the Carolina Panthers. It’s been an intriguing offseason for a team looking to escape the NFC South basement.

There’s something to be said for consistency unless there’s negativity attached to it.

The last time the Carolina Panthers reached the playoffs was back in 2017. The team looked to build off a wild card appearance and the franchise’s fourth trip to the postseason in five years. And all looked well as Cam Newton and company won six of their first eight games in ’18.

But the NFL MVP in 2015 was injured in a Thursday night game at Pittsburgh and was never quite the same. He started the first two games in 2019 and then sat the rest of the season. All told, the Panthers are a combined 16-41 in their last 57 outings.

Last season’s 5-12 showing was particularly disappointing considering Matt Rhule’s team got off to a 3-0 start. The Carolina pass rush was the talk of the league in September and Sam Darnold (acquired in a trade with the New York Jets) was getting the job done with his arm and legs. But the Panthers would go through three different starting quarterbacks in Darnold, P.J. Walker, and eventually, Newton – who made his return to the organization.

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What To Look For in 2022

It’s definitely a year of transition in the NFC South where both the Saints (Dennis Allen) and Buccaneers (Todd Bowles) have new head coaches and coincidentally, both were promoted from their defensive coordinator roles. Arthur Smith begins his second year as the Atlanta Falcons’ sideline leader. Which means as far as head coaches go in this division, Rhule is actually the senior member of the quartet as he embarks on this third season at the controls.

So what can we expect from a club that now has the first and third overall picks in the 2018 NFL Draft – both being quarterbacks – as well as the eighth overall selection in the 2017 draft? A year ago, the team dealt for Darnold. Recently, the Panthers opted to deal for Baker Mayfield. While that duo and 2020 third-round pick Matt Corral plays rock, papers, scissors to figure out who the Week 1 starter will be, plenty of eyes will be on running back Christian McCaffrey. The latter has missed a combined 23 games the past two seasons.

These are intriguing times in terms of the Panthers. Four consecutive losing campaigns and counting for a franchise that has never managed a winning record in back-to-back seasons. And will it be Mayfield at the controls when Rhule’s squad hosts the Cleveland Browns in Week 1?