The Panthers' offense is a very young but talented unit. There are several on that side of the ball who have established themselves as solid and productive players. However, there are a few that could be on the cusp of having a breakout season in 2021.
Today, we look at the top three candidates to have a breakout year.
QB Sam Darnold
It's really hard to believe that Darnold will fail with all the weapons that surround him. Having one of the top running backs in the league paired with one of the top receiving duos in the league is a formula for success. Also, this will be the first time in Darnold's young NFL career that he will be playing with a high level of trust and confidence in the coaching staff and the rest of the organization. When you look around the rest of the NFC South, no one is expecting the Panthers nor Sam Darnold to make much noise. If he can get his timing down with his receivers early and get comfortable with Joe Brady calling the plays, he could have the best year of his career in 2021.
TE Dan Arnold
Out of seemingly nowhere, Arnold became a very important piece of the Arizona Cardinals' passing game in 2020. He finished the season with 31 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns. A year ago for the Panthers, it was the trio of DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, and Curtis Samuel that made up most of the production in the passing game due to the lack of success from the tight ends. Now that Arnold is in the fold, I would expect Joe Brady to get him involved heavily and could end up being the third or fourth most targeted receiver if he continues to improve. A 600-700 season is not out of reach.
OG Pat Elflein
I know this isn't a flashy pick by any means but I wanted to show some love to the offensive line instead of adding another skill position player. Elflein hasn't been as good as many thought he would be coming out of Ohio State just a few years ago. Getting to work with Pat Meyer will be good for him and he may be the guy to help him iron out all of his pass protection issues. He's also able to play both guard and center so he gives Carolina some additional value with his flexibility.
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