The Carolina Panthers brought in Matt Rhule to engineer the same kind of rebuild he pulled off in his previous stops at Temple and Baylor.
No matter what kind of culture Rhule brings in or the number of talents they’re able to acquire this offseason, odds are it’s going to take some time and the franchise has a long road ahead before it’ll be competitive again.
In a new mid-free agency power rankings list by Mark Schofield at Touchdown Wire, the Panthers came in at No. 28, up from No. 31 last time. Here’s what he said about some of their early moves.
“Pharoh Cooper and Seth DeValve are interesting pieces on the offensive side of the football, and do not overlook P.J. Walker. The face of the XFL showed that he has the athletic ability and prowess outside of the pocket that fit in the modern NFL, and he should also be an ideal fit in Brady’s system. Finally, they added Robby Anderson, perhaps the best wide receiver remaining on the market at a rather reasonable deal for two years. Not a bad start to the Matt Rhule era.”
Not a bad start is true. In particular, the team is loaded at the skill positions on offense. Going from Cam Newton to Teddy Bridgewater is a step down at quarterback, but that’s the only complaint so far.
The trouble is on the other side of the ball.
While there are some solid foundational pieces like Brian Burns and Shaq Thompson, this unit has been absolutely devastated by free agent losses and Luke Kuechly’s retirement. In fact, right now it looks like the worst defense in the league on paper. The team needs to add more depth/talent at every position, especially cornerback.
If the Panthers don’t plan on a defense-heavy 2020 draft class, then they’re doing it wrong.
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