It has been quite the 10-year stretch for the NFL team that resides in Charlotte.
From 2013-17, the Carolina Panthers won three straight NFC South titles, missed the playoffs and then rebounded to grab a wild card berth in 2017. That stretch included an appearance in Super Bowl 50. All told, the franchise compiled a 51-28-1 win-loss record over that span.
However, over the past five seasons, the club has fallen hard in finishing with a losing record in each of those campaigns. Over the past five seasons, the Panthers own a combined 29-53 mark.
General manager Scott Fitterer obviously has big plans when it comes to adding talent behind center. Earlier this month, the team moved up in the first round of April’s NFL Draft. Carolina gave up plenty to wrestle the first overall pick from the Chicago Bears. The Panthers haven’t used a first-round pick on a quarterback since taking Auburn’s Cam Newton with the first overall selection in 2015.
Let’s Go Shopping
Meanwhile, Fitterer has been stocking the cupboard with plenty of offensive weapons to benefit not only head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown but whoever plays quarterback in 2023. Adding veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton was a solid move, especially since he spent the 2022 season with division-rival New Orleans Saints. There’s running back Miles Sanders, who led the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles in rushing this past year.
Talented D.J. Moore was dealt to the Bears as part of the deal to obtain the first overall pick. Meanwhile, the Panthers added veteran pass-catchers in wide receivers D.J. Chark (Lions) and Adam Thielen (Vikings), as well as tight end Hayden Hurst (Bengals).
Last But Not Least
Now there’s the matter of a quarterback, with apologies to Dalton. The last time the Panthers reached the playoffs was in 2017 when Newton started all 16 games and the wild card clash with the Saints. Over these past five seasons, Carolina has utilized eight different starting quarterbacks.
There’s Newton, Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. In four of those five years, the Panthers utilized three different starting signal-callers.
Carolina has had offensive weapons on their mind this offseason. Can they find the right man to get the ball to Chark, Thielen, Sanders, Hurst, etc? The answer is coming soon.
More must-reads: