Panthers need to get swagger back after humbling season

If 2015 was a wild party for the Carolina Panthers, then 2016 was the messy hangover. One year after riding Cam Newton’s MVP performance to a 15-1 record and Super Bowl appearance, the Panthers crashed and burned, finishing with a 6-10 record and dead last in the NFC South.

It was a harsh reality check for a team that once took the league by storm with its fun-loving, dabbing ways. Injuries and questionable offseason moves (such as taking Josh Norman off the franchise tag) exposed a flawed roster thin on depth. Newton in particular was banged up all year and couldn’t carry the team on his back like he did in previous years. The defense also didn’t play up to its usual standards and now has to adjust without coordinator Sean McDermott, who left to take a head coaching job in Buffalo.

Despite three straight division titles before last season, the team is facing more uncertainty than usual heading into Ron Rivera’s seventh year. With the Atlanta Falcons cemented as contenders, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the rise, and the New Orleans Saints always lurking as a threat, Carolina is at real risk of being the odd man out in the NFC South.

At his best, Newton is one of the most uniquely talented quarterbacks in the NFL. His combination of size, strength, running ability, and arm power makes him hard to game plan for. In years past, the Panthers have been able to get away with less-than-stellar weapons and let Newton carry the offense by himself.

That might not be the case anymore. Last year, a makeshift offensive line betrayed Newton, who absorbed 36 sacks and once again played through a variety of injuries, missing one game with a concussion. Of course, Newton isn’t totally blameless for his poor season — he set a career low with a 52.9 completion percentage, threw just 19 touchdowns to 14 interceptions, averaged only 6.4 yards per attempt, and had a 75.8 QB Rating. He also wasn’t the running threat he usually is, rushing for a career-low 359 yards.

Now 28 years old, Newton has taken a lot of punishment over the years and sat out most of the offseason while recovering from shoulder surgery. While he should be healthy in plenty of time for the season, the Panthers need to make a serious effort protecting him and surrounding him with quality weapons, or else risk his body breaking down for good.

For his part, Newton seems to have learned some lessons from last year’s struggles.

“The thing I have to realize is my job is not necessarily to always be the playmaker,” he said, via Panthers.com. “I have to give other people opportunities to make plays. That’s the hardest thing about maturation, especially for me.”

Fortunately, the Panthers are finally taking real steps to upgrade the skill positions.

The Panthers used the No. 8-overall pick on Christian McCaffrey, a do-everything running back who rewrote the record books at Stanford, setting the NCAA’s single-season record with 3,864 yards from scrimmage in 2015. He’s a perfect complement in the backfield to Jonathan Stewart, who turned 30 in March and hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2011. McCaffrey also gives offensive coordinator Mike Shula a ton of playcalling options with his ability to play receiver and return kickoffs and punts.

In addition to McCaffrey, the Panthers added Curtis Samuel in the second round to give the receiver corps some much-needed speed, and potentially replace Ted Ginn Jr. as the primary deep threat. The current plan is for Samuel to play in the slot position, but he also has ball-carrying skills and, like, McCaffrey, could end up lining up all over the field to create defensive mismatches.

Carolina also returns reliable tight end Greg Olsen, fourth-year receiver Kelvin Benjamin, and Devin Funchess. Returning from a torn ACL that erased his 2015 season, Benjamin didn’t look quite like his rookie-year self, managing 63 catches for 941 yards and seven touchdowns with a poor 53.4 catch percentage. He also drew attention for his weight in the offseason, but those concerns should be mostly blown over if Benjamin shows up to training camp in shape. Now two years removed from the injury, Benjamin should be much closer to full health, which will only help Newton in the long run.

Funchess has been a disappointment as a 2015 second-rounder, but the converted tight end remains an impressive athlete and it’s possible he can flip the switch in his third season.

Carolina’s line was gutted by injuries last year. Michael Oher lasted just three games before a career-threatening concussion, and center Ryan Kalil got shut down by a shoulder injury after eight games, forcing the team to shuffle around players to positions they weren’t familiar in. The result was a line that Pro Football Focus ranked 17th, noting that fill-in left tackle Mike Remmers “was simply out of his depth.”

Oher is still out with concussion symptoms, and it’s looking increasingly unlikely he’ll be a factor next season. To that end, the Panthers drafted second-round tackle Taylor Moton, who’s expected to make an immediate contribution despite making the jump from Western Michigan to the pros.

“Taylor’s not a redshirt guy,” GM Dave Gettleman told the team’s official website. “He’s talented, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s a good enough athlete to play right tackle, and he’s smart enough to go inside.”

The Panthers also addressed tackle with their biggest free agent addition of the offseason, signing Matt Kalil to a five-year deal with $31 million in guaranteed money. Kalil is currently penciled in to man the blind side, but it’s questionable how much of an upgrade he really is. Kalil was a huge liability on the Minnesota Vikings’ line in recent years and missed most of 2016 with hip surgery. It’s a risky investment for a player who hasn’t shown much since his 2012 rookie season.

This wasn’t quite the same stingy defense we’re used to seeing from Rivera’s Panthers teams, finishing 21st in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed. They were still strong in certain areas, racking up 47 sacks (second-most in the league) and ranking 10th in DVOA.

The front seven was largely as good as ever, even after defensive captain Luke Kuechly missed seven games with a scary concussion. Kawann Short delivered another excellent season and got the marquee contract he’s been seeking, signing a five-year, $80 million extension after briefly getting the franchise tag. Mario Addison also got a nice payday after putting up 9.5 sacks last year.

The Panthers even brought in longtime fan favorite Julius Peppers, back with the team that originally drafted him in 2002. The 37-year-old is an oldie but a goodie, recording 7.5 sacks with the Green Bay Packers last year. He’s no longer an every-snap guy, but Peppers can still play and it’s good to see him back in a Panthers uniform.

It’s the secondary that was a big problem all year. Carolina placed the franchise tag on shutdown cornerback Josh Norman, only to rescind it after long-term contract talks went nowhere. Norman signed with Washington and his absence left a big hole in the secondary, one the Panthers attempted to fill by drafting James Bradberry in the second round and Daryl Worley in the third. Results were mixed, at best. Despite some bright moments, the unit as a whole was 29th in passing yards allowed and got routinely burned on big plays.

It seems that the team is counting on development from its young secondary players. The Panthers didn’t make many big offseason moves to upgrade this unit, aside from drafting cornerbac Corn Elder in the fifth round and signing veteran Captain Munnerlyn, making his return to Charlotte after three years with the Minnesota Vikings.

This defense has some promising young pieces, but also showed its age in a lot of areas. Besides Peppers, Charles Johnson is 30, Thomas Davis is 34, Kurt Coleman turns 30 in July, and Mike Adams is 36. While the Panthers are doing an admirable job turning over its defensive core, there is still some work to be done.

There is a lot to like about this team, on paper. If Newton returns to form, McCaffrey brings life to the run game, and Kuechly manages to avoid concerning head injuries, the Panthers could easily bounce back and become contenders once again.

But those are all big ifs, and in an NFC South that’s become cutthroat in recent years, the Panthers don’t have any margin for error.

2016 was a letdown in many ways. The Panthers suffered bad luck, lost their mojo, and overall just looked like they wanted the season to be over around November. But as a proud, emotionally charged group of players, it’d be hard to bet against them getting their swagger back. The NFL is more fun when Cam Newton is having fun, so here’s hoping they can get back on the saddle, get better results in the win-loss column, and dab on fools once again.