Carolina Panthers’ top 5 needs for 2023 season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BVM) – Somehow, despite their record of 2-6, the Carolina Panthers are only two games off the divisional lead (thanks to playing in the only division in the NFL with no teams boasting a winning record). However, the Panthers need to approach the 2023 offseason with an eye to fixing several issues both on and off the field. These are the top five positions the Panthers need to address before the start of next season.
5. Defensive end
Rushing the quarterback well can help boost play on the back end of a defense. The Panthers have Brian Burns who has lived up to his billing, but he could use a quality pass rusher opposite him. Yetur Gross-Matos hasn’t been that player, only managing 6.5 sacks through his first two and a half seasons in the league. He has yet to play a full season, only playing in 12 in his first season and 14 in his second. Carolina needs to have multiple pass rushers to deal with the quarterback-driven NFL.
4. Running back
Carolina traded star running back Christian McCaffery which leaves a big hole in the backfield. D’Onta Foreman has played well, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns, but he’ll be a free agent after the season and has never played more than 10 games in a season. His last two games, Week 7 against Tampa Bay and Week 8 against Atlanta, represent his best two-game stretch arguably of his career, rushing for over 100 yards in back-to-back weeks and rushing for three touchdowns against Atlanta. However, betting that this is his breakout moment and will continue to produce at this level for multiple seasons seems like a major risk.
Chuba Hubbard has shown some flashes, including averaging seven yards a carry against Atlanta and scoring a touchdown as well. However, he’s averaging under four yards a carry through 24 career games. Obviously, the Panthers haven’t seen fit to give him the lion’s share of the carries yet, but he hasn’t done anything necessarily to show he deserves that yet either.
Regardless of who lines up under center at the start of the 2023 season, Carolina would be wise to give the quarterback a good running back to help lean on.
3. Safety
Carolina has only one safety under contract for the 2023 season currently. The team needs someone to start alongside Xavier Woods. The Panthers also could use another defensive playmaker to help bolster a defense allowing a 41% third-down conversion rate.
2. Tight end
Ian Thomas is on pace to have his second-best season in his career in terms of total receptions, but his career high is 36. The rest of the tight ends on the roster have combined for 15 catches for 192 yards and one touchdown. Thomas doesn’t have any receiving touchdowns this year.
Whether it’s Walker or someone else starting next season, having a reliable tight end is a great security blanket. You want to make life as easy on a quarterback as possible, so get them a big tight end who can catch the ball. That can help keep you ahead of the sticks, putting your offense in third and manageable situations. The offense has only converted 27% of their third down opportunities this season, the worst in the league. A good tight end could go a long way to boosting that number.
1. Quarterback
To be a contender in the NFL, a team needs a high-quality quarterback. The best teams in the league (Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles) all have found an apparent answer at the quarterback position (Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts.) The bottom line is, if a football team wants to win a lot of games, it needs to have a quarterback who can win games.
The Panthers have started two quarterbacks this season in their attempt to find an answer after trying Sam Darnold last season. The team traded for Baker Mayfield in the offseason in an attempt to rekindle some of the former first-overall pick’s talents, but Mayfield only complete 54.9% of his passes and threw four touchdowns to four interceptions.
PJ Walker came in off the bench in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers after Mayfield was benched. While he hasn’t set the world on fire, he’s been respectable with a 62.5 completion percentage and thrown three touchdowns, including a last-second one against the Atlanta Falcons that should have been the game-winner.
So while Walker will theoretically have the rest of the season to prove himself, he will need to show that he can be more than a complimentary piece if he wants to be the answer at the quarterback position. The good news for Panthers fans is that the team is currently picking third in the 2023 draft with a chance at a top quarterback.
