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After an 0-6 start, it’s back to square one for the Carolina Panthers, as they are coming off their bye week. With the slow start to the season, changes needed to be made, and while Panther fans wanted to see Scott Fitterer, the GM lose his position, Frank Reich did surrender play-calling duties to Thomas Brown, a highly respected offensive mind across the NFL.
Bryce Young hasn’t put up the type of production that recent rookie QBS have, including CJ Stroud, who was the #2 pick, right behind Young in the 2023 NFL Draft. A big reason for that is a supporting cast that has failed to help out their rookie signal caller, as the only consistent target in the passing game has been Adam Thielen. Scott Fitterer is acutely aware of that, and his focus as we close in on the NFL trade deadline is to add another weapon at Young’s disposal. The issue is whether they should Carolina give up more draft capital to acquire another receiver, or should they wait until the off-season, when they have money at their disposal to sign free agents, while also finding more suitable players in the NFL Draft.
Both are reasonable arguments, what makes them difficult is Carolina’s lack of success in either department. The Panthers have granted former second-round pick Terrace Marshall Jr, the right to seek a trade, as he’s yet to make an impact in Carolina. It’s certainly early in his career, but Jonathan Mingo, who Carolina drafted in the second round of the last draft, has yet to live up to his potential, after garnering the admiration of Panthers legend Steve Smith. So it’s fair to say that the draft hasn’t been kind to Carolina.
On the flip side, neither has the free-agent route, outside of the signing of Thielen, hasn’t been successful either. Miles Sanders’s contract continues to prove why NFL GMs no longer invest in that position, and Hayden Hurst has been so invisible since the opener, that he might be a candidate for the Panthers to trade him away if a contender expresses interest in him.
There’s no denying that the Panthers have to put more around Bryce Young to get the most out of his talent and his ability. But like so many questions that currently face this team, there doesn’t appear to be any easy answers, making it hard to believe that the losing will end sooner than later under maligned owner, David Tepper.
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