As he enters the third year of his NFL career, Terrace Marshall Jr. is still trying to find his place with the Carolina Panthers. But luckily, his head coach seemingly has a role in mind.
“I think it’s just a matter of him getting more play time and making those plays consistently,” Frank Reich said of Marshall Jr., via Panthers.com’s Augusta Stone. “I think we saw that last year with the reps that he got, the catches that he had, the big plays that he had, that he shows the capacity to kind of be a big play guy. So the next step with every player is always more reps, more plays, more confidence, where it’s like, ‘Hey, give me the ball.'”
The 2021 second-round pick probably didn’t get that ball as much as he would’ve liked to over his first two pro seasons. He has reeled in just 45 tosses for 628 yards and one touchdown in 27 outings.
But Reich wasn’t wrong about those big plays. Marshall Jr. was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded receiver on go routes this past season (97.1), edging out the likes of A.J. Brown (96.6) and Mike Evans (95.1).
Plus, with pecking order of the wideout room yet to be determined, the talented 23-year-old has one heck of an opportunity ahead of him in 2023—which he sees as a new start.
“(There’s a) new coaching staff, new energy around here, so I’m just adapting to that. Just feels like a fresh start, clean slate, and (I’m) ready for the year,” Marshall Jr. said.
