Things didn’t go so well for the last Carolina Panthers coach who used the word “construction” in an analogy. But these things feel a bit different this time around.
On Thursday, new wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson was asked about where third-year pass catcher Terrace Marshall Jr. fits into his plans. And as of today, he’s still working on the blueprint.
“We are a group who is under construction right now,” Jefferson told ESPN’s David Newton. “We’re under construction. That means everybody. We’re under construction right now. We’re trying to get the offense implemented and everything like that. So right now, we’re in the building process. We’re in the land-clearing process of this phase here. We’re through clearing the land, we’re trying to plant the seeds on offense and trying to get this thing up.”
Not only are there a lot of new construction workers on the coaching staff, but there are also some new tools at their disposal. In addition to their sizable investment under center in quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers have surrounded the position with a handful of receivers including free agents Adam Thielen and DJ Chark as well as second-round selection Jonathan Mingo.
Jefferson, however, can still envision what the finished product will look like.
“We wanna be different,” he replied when asked about the versatility of his players. “We wanna go against the grain. We just don’t wanna be just stagnant where people can say, ‘Okay, we know what they’re gonna play here.’ I wanna move these guys around because I think it’s an advantage to us, and we’re all about putting stress on the defense.”
