Carolina Panthers Roster 2018 Panthers Roster

Fixing the Offense & Staying Healthy

In the 2017-18 NFL season, the Carolina Panthers were plagued by injuries. Despite that, this team managed to finish out their season 11-5 and tied in terms of record with division rivals New Orleans. The Saints won the tiebreaker and also bounced Carolina from the playoffs in the Wild Card round. However, the Panthers addressed important needs this offseason in the NFL Draft and will look to once again challenge within the NFC this season.

Carolina's offense struggled last season under quarterback Cam Newton, but that could be blamed on injuries. Former head coach Norv Turner was hired as Carolina's offensive coordinator for the upcoming season. He's got quite the pedigree, having won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992 and 1993 in that position with the Dallas Cowboys. Now he'll be the man calling the shots on a healthy and potent Panthers offense with the dynamic Cam Newton.

Perhaps the biggest factor for the coming season will be that they'll have healthy players coming back. Greg Olsen, Devin Funchess, and Damiere Byrd are all set to be actively part of the roster again. Curtis Samuel also had a surgically-repaired ankle but based on early reports has been looking impressive in terms of body control, speed, and overall sharpness on the field. He could play a key role on special teams.

Christian McCaffrey will enter his sophomore season looking to improve upon his rookie campaign. Backing him up will be Cameron Artis-Payne, while Panthers fans know that Newton is always a threat on the ground for rushing as well.

As they went into the 2018 NFL Draft, two areas where Carolina needed some help were with their receiving corps and in the secondary. In the first two rounds, they selected D.J. Moore and Donte Jackson to address those needs which could help them in the upcoming season. The team traded away their second-year cornerback Daryl Worley to the Eagles in exchange for veteran Torrey Smith. In addition, they signed free agent Jarius Wright to help out in the slot.

Moore will be right there with Devin Funchess on the offense with Jarius Wright also getting some possible targets. The way that Moore will be used in the season's offense is up for debate as of training camp and the preseason. He's very likely to become a receiver who can fill different positions on the field, as needed, similar to the way the team used RB McCaffrey.

The team will probably go with Funchess, Moore, Smith, Samuel, Wright, and Byrd as their six receivers. Despite being a speedy threat on offense and special teams, Byrd will be competing for a role in this team's offense. Of the receivers, it appears that Olsen and Funchess are poised for the biggest seasons under Norv Turner. However, Wright may be utilized quite a bit when it comes to the offense based on his 74 percent catch rate on third down plays.

On defense, the secondary lost Ross Cockrell to a broken leg during a training camp practice. That meant that Kevon Seymour and Donte Jackson were in a fight for the roster spot opposite James Bradberry. Both Seymour and Jackson were putting on a show during practice. This season could see Jackson emerge as a dependable starter if he wins the starting spot. In addition, this could be a breakout season for former first-round pick Shaq Thompson. He's got great defensive instincts as well as coverage and tackling skills that could potentially land him a Pro Bowl nod this season.

Carolina's defense ranked third last season in terms of total sacks. Their 50 sacks trailed only Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. This season they have a chance to outdo that number. Their interior features a lethal combination of Kawann Short and Dontari Poe, while veteran Julius Peppers is still capable of double-digit sacks. Draft picks Daeshon Hall and Marquis Haynes as well as Mario Addison are also there for potential takedowns.

In terms of special teams, it appeared as of late July that kicker Graham Gano and punter Michael Palardy were givens. That's because there were no other players for their positions on the Panthers' roster. However, a question remained when it came to handling kickoff and punt returns. Carolina has a new special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn making those decisions.

Damiere Byrd is likely to get a role as kick returner, but the punt returner spot is unknown. Curtis Samuel and Kenjon Barner are both options for that job. Samuel had an impressive average yards per punt return in his rookie season. Barner was the man returning kickoffs and punt returns for the Eagles last season as they made their march to the Super Bowl.

In 2016, the Panthers were in the Super Bowl on the heels of Cam Newton's MVP season. They look poised for another successful run in the upcoming season based on their resilience last campaign and the addition of help where it was needed. However, the NFC will feature a plethora of other teams including the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers who will also be capable of challenging for the NFC crown.