If you’ve wondered if the Super Bowl hangover is real, look no further than the 2016 Carolina Panthers, who came into the 2017 season stronger on offense and missing just one piece of the defensive puzzle that led them to an NFC Championship. Adding back Kelvin Benjamin to the offense paid off in stats, but not wins. While Josh Norman was an elite superstar corner, his absence alone wasn’t enough to account for a 6-10 finish.
Here’s what they did.
Free Agents Kept
Charles Johnson, Defensive End
Kyle Love, Defensive End
Chris Scott, Offensive Guard
Fozzy Whittaker, Running Back
Free Agents Gained
Mike Adams, Safety, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts
Charles Johnson, Wide Receiver, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings
Matt Kalil, Offensive Tackle, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings
Captain Munnerlyn, Cornerback, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings
Julius Peppers, Outside Linebacker, formerly of Green Bay Packers
Russell Shepard, Wide Receiver, formerly of Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Free Agents Lost
Tedd Ginn, Wide Receiver, signed with the New Orleans Saints
Leonard Johnson, Defensive Back, signed with the Buffalo Bills
A.J. Klein, Middle Linebacker, signed with the New Orleans Saints
Mike Remmers, Offensive Tackle, signed with the Minnesota Vikings
Mike Tolbert, Fullback, signed with the Buffalo Bills
2017 NFL Draft
Round 1: Christian McCaffrey, Running Back, Stanford
Round 2: Curtis Samuel, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Round 2: Taylor Moton, Offensive Guard, Western Michigan
Round 3: Daeshon Hall, Defensive End, Texas A&M
Round 5: Corn Elder, Cornerback, Miami
Round 6: Alex Armah, Fullback, West Georgia
Round 7: Harrison Butker, Kicker, Georgia Tech
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Cam Newton
RB: Jonathan Stewart
WR: Kelvin Benjamin
WR: Devin Funchess
WR: Curtis Samuel
TE: Greg Olsen
LT: Matt Kalil
RT: Daryl Williams
LG: Andrew Norwell
RG: Trai Turner
C: Ryan Kalil
Offensive Outlook
The Panthers needed an upgrade on the offensive line and they wasted no time, signing free agent Matt Kalil to step in as their new starting left tackle. That allows the Panthers to shuffle the rest of the line to its strengths and use guys like Michael Oher and rookie Taylor Moton as depth early in the season.
While Christian McCaffery gets all the off-season hype added to the Panthers offense, I expect that Curtis Samuel will have a bigger impact early as a slot receiver and gadget play specialist. He basically played running back and wideout with the Buckeyes and, lined up in packages with McCaffrey, could present consistent match up problems. Johnathan Stewart will likely get the majority of the carries early on, but if McCaffrey can stay healthy at the NFL level he should see more and more action later in the season.
The trigger man remains Cam Newton. Newton is coming off a down year himself and if the Panthers are going to contend again, he needs to shake off his own hangover and regain his 2015 form. The Panthers look to be doing more to protect him, not only with offensive line improvements but in the playcalling. I’m not sure Newton was 100 percent for most of last season, regardless of whether he could pass the concussion protocol.
Proposed Defensive Starters
DE: Charles Johnson
DE: Julius Peppers
DT: Star Lotulelei
DT: Kawann Short
OLB: Shaq Thompson
OLB: Thomas Davis
MLB: Luke Kuechly
CB: James Bradberry
CB: Captain Munnerlyn
FS: Mike Adams
SS: Kurt Coleman
Defensive Outlook
While the Panthers used draft capital on the offense, they used their free agency budget to fill some defensive holes. Julius Peppers returns to Carolina after a tour through the NFC North with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. The rest of the front is solid with the underrated Charles Johnson shoring up the other side. Lotulelei and Short are a solid inside tandem that can not only eat up blockers, but penetrate into the backfield.
The linebackers remain the elite unit of this defense. Keuchly is the best middle linebacker in the game and missing him for the last six games of last season due to a concussion could have possibly cost the Panthers a game or two down the stretch. Shaq Thompson should be able to build off a decent rookie season and Thomas Davis is probably in the final season or two of a Hall of Fame career.
The secondary has been almost completely rebuilt. Munnerlyn replaces Daryl Worley as a starter on the left side corner with free agent Mike Adams brought in to upgrade the free safety position. Kurt Coleman remains one of the best kept secrets in the league and has shown up on no preseason top player list in spite of picking off 11 passes over the last two seasons.
Grade: B-
In most of the important ways, this is the same Panthers team that underachieved last season. Of course, you could have said the same thing last year too coming off a Super Bowl. I’m also not sure how much of an impact Christian McCaffrey will make in the Panthers’ offense or if he’ll even stay healthy this season. The defense should be improved, but Carolina didn’t find stars to add, just role players.
O/U wins: 8.5
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: Houston Texans
Week 2: at Tennessee Titans
Week 3: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 4: Pittsburgh Steelers
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 2: Buffalo Bills
Week 3: New Orleans Saints
Key game: The Panthers open up their NFC South slate at home against one of the best offenses in the league. Last season the Saints and Panthers split their games, with the Saints taking the early match-up. The slow start was something Carolina could just never overcome so it’s important to make a statement here, at home, early. Especially with the two cupcakes the Panthers have leading up to this game.
Week 4: at New England Patriots
Week 5: at Detroit Lions
Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles
Week 7: at Chicago Bears
Week 8: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key game: The Bucs are going to be on plenty of postseason predictions this off-season so the Panthers can’t afford to get caught by a team that could beat them to the finish line in an NFC wild card scenario. This game looms especially large since it preceeds Carolina’s first match-up with the NFC Champions. After playing three potential playoff teams in a row (not counting the Chicago Bears, of course) to get here, a victory over the Buccaneers on the road would be a significant statement.
Week 9: Atlanta Falcons
Week 10: Miami Dolphins
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: at New York Jets
Week 13: at New Orleans Saints
Week 14: Minnesota Vikings
Week 15: Green Bay Packers
Week 16: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 17: at Atlanta Falcons
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