The Panthers have re-signed a handful of players so far in 2020. They have been exclusive rights free agents like defensive end Efe Obada, running back Reggie Bonnafon, kicker Joey Slye and defensive back Cole Luke.
One ERFA who we haven’t seen extended yet is Kyle Allen, who somehow became one of the most divisive quarterbacks in the NFL this past year. Thanks to Cam Newton’s season-ending Lisfranc injury, Allen was thrust into a role he wasn’t quite ready for. He won his first four starts despite not having played particularly well and certain portions of the media crowned him Carolina’s next franchise quarterback.
Water has a way of finding its own level eventually and Allen’s performance quickly bottomed out. He lost seven of his next eight starts and then got benched in favor of the rookie Will Grier.
To his credit, Allen handled the situation like a true professional and flashed a healthy competitive instinct that will serve him well in his career. However, he should never have been asked to carry a team for 12 games at this point in his development.
The most agonizing part of watching Allen struggle in 2019 were the infamous “missed opportunities” in the vertical passing game. Wide receivers Curtis Samuel and D.J. Moore suffered the most and both ranked among the lowest catchable deep-ball rates for any receiver in the league.
It gets worse.
According to the 2019-2020 Deep Ball Project, Allen ranked No. 32 in deep ball accuracy, completing just 11 of 41 attempts (26.83%) of 21+ yards.
“Charting Allen was difficult to do not just because his accuracy was the worst of any quarterback on this year’s Deep Ball Project, but also because of how he was missing receivers. When targeting open receivers, the other 31 quarterbacks had an accuracy percentage of at least 45.45 percent. Allen struggled to even hit 35 percent of his deep passes to open receivers.”
While it’s true Allen’s offensive line didn’t do him many favors during his run as a starter, even when the pass protection held up he didn’t do much better. Allen was 11/31 from a clean pocket (35.48%).
The deadline for teams to extend exclusive rights free agents is April 17. Re-signing Allen will only cost a pittance, but the fact that they haven’t done so already is not a positive indicator for his future with the team.
At the other end of the spectrum, Cardinals rookie Kyler Murray ranked No. 1 in this area, hitting 25 of his 49 long attempts. Murray finished the year on a strong note and we’re expecting a major breakout from him in 2020.
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