Category: Panthers

2024 NFL Schedule: League announces slate of five international games

The NFL has announced its five international games for the 2024 season, and here they all are.

The NFL is planning five different games for the 2024 regular season in its international slate, and the league announced all five on Wednesday morning. The entire schedule will be announced at 8:00 p.m. ET Wednesday evening.

This season’s slate of International Games will begin in São Paulo, Brazil on Friday night of Week 1 of the regular season. The Green Bay Packers will take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, Sept. 6 at 8:15 PM ET.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off the league’s return to Europe on Sunday, Oct. 6, as they play the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — the only purpose-built NFL stadium outside of the U.S.

The following Sunday, Oct. 13, also at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Chicago Bears will play the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The London focus then shifts to Wembley Stadium as the Jaguars take on the New England Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 20.  This is the second time Jacksonville will play back-to-back games in the U.K., marking the team’s 12th and 13th regular season games in London.

The Carolina Panthers will play the New York Giants in Munich at Allianz Arena — Home of FC Bayern Munich on Sunday, Nov. 10 as part of the NFL’s commitment to playing regular season games in Germany.

“We are delighted to announce these exciting matchups across London and Munich, in addition to the historic first game in São Paulo, Brazil, to complete the 2024 International Games slate,” said NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business, Major Events & International Peter O’Reilly. “As the league and its 32 teams continue to prioritize international growth, we look forward to building on the incredible fan experiences seen in Europe while taking the game to new fans in South America.”

Carolina Panthers’ best sleeper pick: Chau Smith-Wade, CB, Washington State

Cornerback Chau Smith-Wade could be an immediate slot force for the Carolina Panthers.

Smith-Wade played quite a bit outside in college, but projects to the slot for his NFL team. He was strong in coverage over four seasons with the Cougars (three as a starter), allowing 60 catches on 113 targets for 790 yards, 247 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, three interceptions, 16 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 76.2. He also has experience in the box and as a blitzer at the line of scrimmage, but the Panthers want to see him in the slot, and he’s ready for that challenge, despite the fact that he had just 30 snaps there in college. The Panthers got him with the 157th pick in the fifth round.

“At nickel you’re never cold, you’re either in the run fit, you’re in the box or you’re guarding those quick guys in the slot, so you’re never cold at nickel,” he said. “I really love that about nickel and the defensive back variety pack, out of the corners and safety, just being that nickel, you’re closer to the ball.”

Rookie RB Jonathon Brooks could be the playmaker the Panthers desperately need

The Carolina Panthers are in desperate need of playmakers, and here’s why Dave Canales’ offense could run through rookie Jonathon Brooks.

The Panthers are more in need of playmakers than most NFL teams right now — that’s something new GM Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales know all too well. Getting South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette with the 32nd overall pick in the first round was a good call, as Legette is a home run play waiting to happen. But don’t underestimate the addition of Texas running back Jonathon Brooks with the 46th overall pick in the second round.

Canales, who spent last season as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator and was therefore in charge of Rachaad White’s place in that offense (only Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers had more carries last season than White’s 299, and White also had 69 catches on 78 targets in 2023), has no issue leaning heavily on one back — as long as that back is the right back.

“Our system calls for a back that can be used, of course, just in a traditional way, hand it to him,” Canales said after Brooks was selected. “Then, how can we get this player in space? Being able to get him in perimeter screens and checkdowns. We got a really cool empty package where we use the backs, flex them out to get matchups, things like that.”

“He’s a bigger back, he’s got range. There’s so much that he brings from a versatility standpoint, that’s probably the biggest thing that stood out and then just vision, patience, contact balance, acceleration, like he’s got it all, he’s the best back in this class.”

Brooks lined up outside on 4% of his snaps in 2023, and in the slot 1% of the time. He had no targets in 2023 outside of the backfield. But Canales’ point about Taylor and perimeter screens rings true. He was dynamic from the backfield to gain serious yards after catch with quick passes. This 73-yard gain against TCU proves the theory.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: The best offensive scheme fits in the 2024 NFL draft

From Jayden Daniels to Xavier Worthy, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar get into the best offensive scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft.

There are at least two stages of evaluation when dealing with draft prospects. There’s the work you do watching tape of a player in a vacuum pre-draft, when you’re looking at a player’s attributes and liabilities overall. Then, when the player is drafted, you’re trying to figure out why the team selected the player, and how that player best fits in his new home from a schematic and performance perspective.

With the 2024 NFL draft in the rearview, it’s time for Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, to determine the best scheme fits from this class.

Greg and Doug begin on the offensive side of the ball, with these players:

  • Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
  • Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
  • Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos
  • Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
  • Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
  • Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
  • Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
  • Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

You can watch this week’s Xs and Os right here:

You can also listen and subscrive to the Xs and Os podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The Carolina Panthers are all in on Bryce Young this season

The Carolina Panthers have proven that they’re all in on Bryce Young’s development in Year 2. How will that manifest itself on the field?

It’s always a good sign in the NFL when a team can learn from its own mistakes and adjust moving forward. This is especially true given the recent history of the Carolina Panthers and their historically stubborn owner David Tepper who have routinely bumbled the most important position in football since Tepper arrived in Charlotte back in 2018. Heading into the 2024 offseason, it appears Tepper and the Panthers have committed in making sure their current quarterback has the best possibility for success moving forward.

Now entering his second season after being the first overall pick the year previous, quarterback Bryce Young becomes the first quarterback since Cam Newton to be the Week 1 starter in consecutive seasons. Given Young’s first season was a bit disastrous, in large part thanks to an abysmal supporting cast, the Panthers are intent on maximizing ways for their young leader to succeed.

Carolina has spent this offseason dumping money into what was their biggest weaknesses from last season on the offensive side of the ball in an effort to ensure Bryce Young has everything he needs to develop as their starting quarterback. Dumping $153 million dollars in contracts for guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis in free agency, as well as snagging one of the best separating receivers in the league from the Steelers in a trade in Diontae Johnson.

These moves to dump resources into the offense have come at a bit of a cost however. Three of Carolina’s best players on the defensive side of the ball have departed via free agency or trade. Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu, and Jeremy Chinn have been staples of this defense for years and were large contributors into making it a respectable unit. It takes maturity to understand how to build around your young quarterback and understanding the sacrifices that have to be made to do that. Building from the outside in to make sure your investment in Young reaps profits is one investor move Tepper certainly has right.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Wrapping up NFL free agency for 2024

2024 NFL free agency is just about in the books, so it’s time for Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar to analyze the biggest transactions in the second wave.

Now that most of NFL free agency for the 2024 league year is in the bag — though there are a few helpful players still on the open market — it’s time for Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, to recap the biggest and most important moves in the second wave of this free agency phase. Greg and Doug covered the first day of free agency last week in the Xs and Os; here’s the conclusion.

Among the discussion points:

  • What does Brian Burns bring to a Giants defensive line that already has Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence?
  • Can Justin Fields become the best version of himself in the Steelers’ offense?
  • Conversely, can Kenny Pickett turn his career around with the Eagles?
  • How can Calvin Ridley use his true X-Iso skill set to ramp up the Titans’ offense?
  • Can the Texans’ addition of Danielle Hunter, along with Will Anderson Jr. and Denico Autry, make Houston’s defensive line a Super Bowl-level group?
  • What can Hollywood Brown do for the Chiefs?
  • Tyron Smith is a future Hall of Famer, but what will he be able to do for the Jets’ offensive line in the short term?
  • Chase Young has been an inconsistent pass-rusher throughout his NFL career; can he turn it around with the Saints?
  • The Lions made important additions to their defensive line and their secondary; can all that put them over the top?
  • The Falcons already have a ton of weapons for new quarterback Kirk Cousins. How will the addition of receiver Rondale Moore affect what looks like one of like the NFL’s most explosive offenses (in theory, at least)?

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Giants trade with Panthers for edge-rusher Brian Burns, who gets massive new contract

With Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence, the Giants now present impossible problems for opposing offensive lines.

16 months ago, the Los Angeles Rams offered two first-round picks (2024, 2025) and a second-round pick (2023) to the Carolina Panthers for the services of edge-rusher Brian Burns, and the Panthers turned the Rams down.

Now, the Panthers have traded Burns to the New York Giants for second- and fifth-round picks, and they’re off the hook for Burns’ new contract. That’s up to the Giants, who — per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network — will give Burns a new five-year deal worth up to $150 million with $87.5 million guaranteed.

As they say, timing is everything.

For the Panthers, it’s just more picks and more cap space free for new general manager Dan Morgan as the franchise keeps up the rebuilding process. For the Giants, it’s the opportunity to put Burns on the other side of edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, with nose tackle super-destroyer Dexter Lawrence in the middle. Which isn’t bad at all.

Last season, Burns had nine sacks and 40 total pressures, which was actually a bit of a down year for him — the 2019 16th overall pick out of Florida State had 13 sacks and 68 pressures in a career-best 2022 season. But Burns still has that ferocious acceleration to the quarterback, he can put speed-to-power moves together quite estimably, and he has a full array of techniques to get to the quarterback.

Given Burns’ relative limitations in the run game, this might be a bit of an overpay, but if it all works out, the Giants have created an impossible question to answer: Who on that defensive line do you double-team?

Panthers make major move for ex-Dolphins guard (and #THICCSIX star) Robert Hunt

Robert Hunt goes to the Panthers as a top-tier guard, and a sneaky red-zone #THICCSIX weapon. What’s not to like?

The Carolina Panthers are all too aware that they need to surround second-year quarterback Bryce Young with as much talent as possible, and the team took a big step forward in that regard on Monday by agreeing to terms with former Miami Dolphins offensive guard Robert Hunt on a massive deal.

Over four seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Hunt has allowed a total of nine sacks and 61 total pressures, with one sack and five total pressures allowed in 376 pass-blocking snaps. The Dolphins have one of the NFL’s most complex and multi-faceted run game, and Hunt was a bastion of consistency on a line that was a bit all over the place. Which is what Hunt will try and solve in his new home.

Moreover, Hunt adds a potential red zone target for Young — you can read more about this particular play here.

Dolphins guard Robert Hunt cheated out of greatest Big Man Touchdown ever

Dave Canales is the perfect hire for Bryce Young if David Tepper can be patient

Dave Canales looks like the right man for the job if owner David Tepper can keep his interference to a minimum.

It’s not exactly a secret that the Carolina Panthers have one of the most trigger-happy owners in all of sports in David Tepper, who of late has given a short leash to just about everyone associated with the franchise. Following a disastrously bad last two seasons, Carolina has essentially gone through four coaches in just that short span. Now with the hiring of the young offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay in Dave Canales, Tepper must learn to exercise patience with both his young quarterback and new head coach.

Canales was one of the top young offensive minds available going into this coaching cycle and thought it was a bit of a surprise hire, it was certainly the right one. When looking to establish an identity, one which Carolina lacks, snagging a young and motivated guy like Canales makes perfect sense. With a track record that includes a Russell Wilson dream season and rebirths for both quarterbacks Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, Canales has proven to be able to come in and provide quarterbacks with an opportunity to succeed within this Shanahan style offense. The number one urgency of this franchise is surrounding quarterback Bryce Young with talent on the offensive line and with more weapons than what is currently rostered, on top of getting Young to discontinue his up and down play that we saw last season.

This is not going to be an overnight fix by any means, this team is severely lacking in depth on both sides of the ball and do not possess a first round pick until 2025 after trading this years away for their current quarterback. Canales and new general manager Dan Morgan are going to need to follow a tight path in order to strengthen the depth along the offensive line and defense as well as address the woeful group of weapons surrounding Young.

Barring a miracle by Canales his is going to be at minimum a two year project before we really start to see the fruits of the upcoming labor that will define this new duo. Tepper will be wells served to go hands off, resisting his past behaviors of forcing players onto the roster and cutting loose coaches at the drop of the hat. The less interference by an owner has been historically successful, and allowing these two talented and seasoned men in Canales and Morgen build to the best of their ability is going to be key in snapping the nightmare that has been the Tepper regime so far.

Panthers choosing Bucs OC Dave Canales as their head coach

The Panthers are zeroing in on Bucs OC Dave Canales as their next head coach

Dave Canales fixed Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay in 2023. His next task is far more monumental.

Canales is on the verge of leaving the Buccaneers for another NFC South team. The Carolina Panthers are ready to hire the offensive coordinator as their head coach.

In Carolina, Canales would step into a job with the worst team in the NFL. The Panthers were 2-15 in 2023 and do not have the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

That is because they dealt their first pick in 2024 to the Chicago Bears so they could draft Bryce Young as the first pick in 2023.

The results were awful and Canales has a big, big job in front of him. The only positive is the division is weak.