The math isn’t adding up.
As the offseason rolls on, prominent sports media publications have universally agreed the Carolina Panthers are one of the worst teams in football. ESPN ranked the Panthers 32nd. Sports Illustrated and Yahoo! Sports each pegged the Sam Darnold-led club 31st, while Bleacher Report and CBS Sports tabbed Matt Rhule’s team as 30th in the rankings.
A few weeks ago, The Charlotte Observer wrote about why those comprehensive rankings did not make sense. Since then, more quiet examples have shown themselves in agreement that the Panthers are better than their damaged-league-wide reputation.
“If those polls are ranking just head coach and quarterback situations, then I guess I kind of see where they are coming from,” an NFC scout told The Observer. “Even then I don’t think the public is being that fair to Matt (Rhule). He’s a good coach, respected around the league. Then look at the roster. I count almost ten guys worth building around under the age of 25.”
Before we unpack the above quote, it’s worth mentioning former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum echos similar notions about Rhule.
“He’s been a really good coach for a long time at a couple of different spots. All the same things that got him to Carolina I’m sure he still believes,” Tannenbaum told The Observer. “I was very impressed with him, watching him coach in Mobile (at the Senior Bowl). I thought he coached every position and every player with attention to detail. So when you can win at Temple, when you win at Baylor, there’s a reason for that. I think coaching is like playing quarterback. (Success) may not happen overnight, but I’d hang in there with him.”
After consecutive underwhelming five-win seasons, owner David Tepper did hang in there with Tepper and second-year general manager Scott Fitterer. Together, the two (along with a talented front office team) have compiled a roster many around the league respect.
Some of that talent the new regime inherited. Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Taylor Moton, Brian Burns and Shaq Thompson are holdovers from Ron Rivera’s tenure and are still vital pieces to the Panthers roster.
As a part of their annual player tier rankings, Pro Football Focus named all four as top 25 players at their respective positions. PFF ranked McCaffrey a Tier 1 running back and forth overall, behind Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb.
Moore ranked 25th among receivers, with Odell Beckham Jr., Tyler Lockett, Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, Allen Robinson and Tee Higgins all ahead. Moton is considered a Tier 4 tackle and 10th overall while Thompson was the 12th-ranked linebacker. Burns is a Tier 2 edge rusher and No. 8 overall.
Fitterer has all four of them locked into long-term deals. Burns and the Panthers have been in negotiations this offseason while Moore agreed to a three-year, $62 million extension which made him the fifth highest-paid receiver in the NFL. McCaffrey remains the highest-paid running back in football.
Since joining the Panthers in January 2021, Fitterer prioritized retaining in-house talent. He’s followed through so far and plans on doing so with Burns, followed by the next wave of young Panthers blue-chip players. And there are several, underscoring the Panthers’ collection of talent under the age of 25.
CBS Sports recently named their top 25 players under 25 years old. Carolina and Cincinnati each led the list with three players, though the Bengals three (highlighted by No. 3 Joe Burrow) ranked much higher than the Panthers’ trio (Jeremy Chinn, Burns and Moore).
Chinn is a shining example of the early success Fitterer and Rhule have had through the draft. Jaycee Horn and Ikem Ekwonu have a lot to prove but have already earned praise from evaluators around the league. Derrick Brown (the No. 8 pick in 2020) won’t ever be Aaron Donald or Cam Heyward but at just 24 years old he still has a lot of potential.
Last year, Carolina traded a third-round pick and tight end Dan Arnold for cornerback C.J. Henderson, who was the No. 9 pick in 2020, one selection after Brown. He is only 23 years old. In free agency, Fitterer aggressively pursued guard Austin Corbett and signed him to a three-year, $26.25 million deal. PFF ranked Corbett a Tier 4 guard and 20th overall.
Fitterer addressed this roster’s margins. Carolina could have as many as 11 new starters this season, but a lot of the core hasn’t changed, led by a skill-position group that finally should have an above-average offensive line blocking for it.
Tannenbaum believes in the Panthers’ skill players as much as he does Rhule. He ranked Carolina’s running backs, receivers, and tight end talent as a Tier 2 unit, on the same level as the Bills, Broncos, Saints, Vikings, 49ers, Eagles, Rams and Buccaneers. His only Tier 1 teams were the Raiders and Bengals.
“I understand why buzz around the Panthers is low. But for those actually paying close attention, this roster is not far off. Yes, they must improve at quarterback,” an NFL scout said. “Imagine if Matt Corral is that guy. Then their entire narrative changes.”
