Panthers owner David Tepper questions Cam Newton’s health
The continuing saga of “Will he or won’t he?” in regards to Cam Newton’s status with the Panthers in 2020 wrote another chapter Tuesday when team owner David Tepper spoke with the media about Newton’s health and future in Carolina.
“It’s a question of how healthy his foot is and otherwise. That’s still the number one overwhemling thing, to see how healthy he is and how we can figure out when he’s healthy or not and everything comes from that,” Tepper said to the media.
Tepper was also asked about teams inquiring about a trade for Newton and joked about his wife handling the calls. Obviously, Tepper cannot say anything on that front because that would be tampering with the league year not set to start for another month.
Here’s the full audio from Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.
Dave Tepper, on Cam Newton – all comes down to health. Won’t make definitive statements until he knows about Cam’s health. Does not expand on timeline. Full comments: pic.twitter.com/3soTgdyagp
The Carolina Panthers have at least a dozen difficult personnel decisions to make this year.
The Carolina Panthers have at least a dozen difficult personnel decisions to make this year. The hardest one may be what to do with starting outside cornerback James Bradberry, who is set to become a free agent in March. Bradberry is the team’s best cornerback but that’s a very low bar and keeping him around might cost a lot of salary cap space – and there’s not much to go around.
Bradberry’s fate is debatable. It might make sense to trade or franchise tag him. We honestly don’t know what direction the franchise will choose with Bradberry, especially with a new coaching staff coming in.
However, there are a few players who definitely deserve extensions this offseason. Here are four of them.
OT Taylor Moton
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina’s offensive line has been a mess more often than not over the last few years. The exception to that rule has been right tackle Taylor Moton, who has generally been the team’s most consistent lineman and is the best aside from Trai Turner. Moton is solid blocking for the run and protecting the quarterback. If the Panthers don’t pay him now and Moton performs well in 2020, his price tag could grow beyond their means.
Cam Newton was not the first black quarterback to find success in the NFL. He has become a role model for a new generation of them, though. Watch Texans star Deshaun Watson talk about Newton serving as an inspiration for him and other young black QBs.
Watson had a phenomenal season for Houston in his third year in the pros, posting 3,852 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and a playoff win despite having to overcome some woeful coaching by Bill O’Brien. He added another 413 yards and seven scores with his legs.
Watson was part of a seismic shift that happened at the game’s most important position last season. Passers that have dominated the league over the last decade-plus ran into some serious turbulence. Drew Brees and Tom Brady both suffered early playoff exits, Philip Rivers’ level of play fell off in a bad way, Eli Manning was benched and is now retired. Even Aaron Rodgers began to show some signs of decline.
Meanwhile, Watson and a handful of other black QBs – led most notably by league MVP Lamar Jackson and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes – ascended to the next level. It’s clear that this group of QBs (throw in Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott) is ahead of the pack and will likely be competing with eachother for rings and MVPs for at least the next several years.
Our official 2020 QB rankings will be coming out later this month, and it’s clear from the early glances just how much the balance of power has shifted to the younger generation.
So, where does Cam Newton fit into this picture?
It’s tough to tell right now. He’s only been healthy for about eight games over the last two seasons. We also don’t know where he’ll be playing. He still has one year left on his contract and Newton says he’s “absolutely” sure” he will return to the Panthers, but there’s been an ominous silence from the front office on this point.
The Carolina Panthers have several pending free agents for the New Orleans Saints to consider, such as James Bradberry and Chris Hogan.
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The New Orleans Saints are hard at work evaluating their pending free agents and considering who might become available around the league, and we’re taking the same approach. We’ll be continuing our team-by-team preview of every team’s potential free agent class in the weeks leading up to NFL’s new fiscal year. Today, that means surveying the Carolina Panthers free agents.
CB James Bradberry
CB Javien Elliott
DT Vernon Butler
DT Kyle Love
DT Stacy McGee
DL Gerald McCoy
FS Tre Boston
G Greg Van Roten
OLB Mario Addison
OLB Bruce Irvin
RT Daryl Williams
TE Greg Olsen
WR Chris Hogan
DT Dontari Poe (Club Option)
WR Jarius Wright (Club Option)
WR DeAndrew White (RFA)
TE Dillon Gordon (RFA)
QB Kyle Allen (ERFA)
G Brandon Greene (ERFA)
G Kitt O’Brien (ERFA)
TE Marcus Baugh (ERFA)
CB Cole Luke (ERFA)
The name to watch here may be James Bradberry. He’s had some good games against the Saints before, but more importantly has been a consistently productive cover corner in a tough division. His best games have come against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a 2019 matchup in which he intercepted two passes and deflected two others. That experience against common opponents means he could help the Saints right away. The Saints are running thin at cornerback with just three corners under contract right now (being Marshon Lattimore, Janoris Jenkins, and Patrick Robinson) so we can expect some additions to the depth chart. No Panthers cornerback logged more coverage snaps than Bradberry 9614) in 2019, and Pro Football Focus credited him with the team’s second-best coverage grade.
Another name to monitor is Chris Hogan, the veteran wideout who was limited by a knee injury. Before joining the Panthers, Hogan was a well-regarded downfield threat who averaged 15.4 yards per catch the previous three years with the New England Patriots. He’s got good hands (62.3% career catch rate) and could be exactly what the Saints need to revive the vertical passing game. The questions have to surround his health and his age; he’ll turn 33 in October. Hogan should not be New Orleans’ first choice in free agency (or even one of their top choices), but he’s someone to keep in mind after the first wave or two of big signings is finalized.
Other Panthers free agents who could fit the Saints: free safety Tre Boston, defensive lineman Gerald McCoy, and defensive tackle Vernon Butler. Greg Olsen is a first-team All-Saints-Killer, but he’s not what the team needs right now at tight end.
Our next potential 2020 free agent target is Hunter Henry.
Greg Olsen wants to continue playing in the NFL. It won’t be with the Panthers, though. They released him last month. Since then, he’s been working as an XFL analyst and has meetings set up with the Bills, Redskins and Seahawks.
Replacing Olsen won’t be easy for general manager Marty Hurney. However, there are several high quality tight ends who are about to hit the market. Our next potential 2020 free agent target is Hunter Henry.
Career stats:
Henry played college ball at Arkansas, then the Chargers picked him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. So far, Henry has appeared in 41 games, totaling 136 catches, 1,709 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. He was named to the All-Rookie team in 2016, when he caught eight.
Pros:
If the Panthers are looking for a clone of Olsen, Henry is about as close as they’re going to get. The two are almost the exact same size and Henry has the same soft, reliable hands. His career catch rate is 71.2% and he’s consistently moved the chains, posting 98 first downs. Henry can also help fill Carolina’s need for a new red zone weapon, which is even worse now that Olsen is out of the picture.
Cons:
The big question mark with Henry is his health. He missed the entire 2018 season due to a torn ACL. He also missed four more games this past season due to a tibia plateau fracture. Another major knee injury could seriously limit what he is able to accomplish in his career.
Probability: Medium
Only Hurney could tell you what his interest level is, but on the surface Henry seems to be an excellent fit to replace Olsen. The x-factor will be his price tag, which could be effected in a major way by new contracts for players like Austin Hooper and Eric Ebron.
One of the stars from the first week was former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, who will be calling five XFL contests this offseason.
The first weekend of the rebooted XFL seems to have been a critical and ratings success.
One of the stars from the first week was former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, who will be calling five XFL contests this offseason. On Sunday, he was in the booth with Kevin Burkhardt to call the game between the New York Guardians and the Tampa Bay Vipers on Fox.
As you might expect, Olsen got a ton of praise for his commentary on Twitter. Here are a few of our favorites.
Can we acknowledge that Greg Olsen is really good in the Booth?
@woodyandwilcox Woody, you're crazy, I thought it was pretty good. The other 3 games had better commentary. Greg Olsen was one of the announcers for the Viper/Guardians game. I love it.
We all know Olsen has a future in broadcasting, whether it’s with Fox or another network. As for what comes next in his ongoing football career, Olsen has interest from at least three NFL teams. He’s been reported to have meetings set up with Ron Rivera’s Redskins, Sean McDermott’s Bills and Russell Wilson’s Seahawks.
The 2019 season was an unfortunate chapter in Cam Newton’s career.
The 2019 season was an unfortunate chapter in Cam Newton’s career. It was dominated by a Lisfranc injury he suffered early during his first game of the preseason.
Newton tried to play through the pain but it was best for him to shut it down. He reaggravated the problem against the Buccaneers Week 2 and was eventually placed on injured reserve. In Newton’s absence, the Panthers won just five games and finished last place in the NFC South.
With all of the speculation surrounding Cam and whether or not he’ll be back, it is good to see Newton is optimistic. He also seems to be determined to get back to the MVP form he showed in the first half of the 2018 season. Here is what Newton posted on Instagram Friday.
Before the Super Bowl, Cam said he is “absolutely” sure he will return to the Panthers. However, the front office doesn’t seem to be as confident in Newton’s ability to get back to his former MVP form and haven’t made any statements supporting him as of yet.
All anxious Carolina fans can do is wait and see how everything shakes out.
2020 NFL draft prospect profile: Auburn DT Derrick Brown
There is no way to sugarcoat it. The Panthers’ run defense last season was atrocious. They ranked fourth worst in the league in that category, allowing 143.5 rushing yards per game. Carolina also gave up more rushing touchdowns than any other NFL team. However, there is reason to believe that their run defense will improve in 2020.
First, the switch that new defensive coordinator Phil Snow is making to a true multiple front should help tremendously. Last year, Ron Rivera and his staff talked about being multiple with their defensive fronts, but we all saw him stick with his 3-4 base most of the time. Incorporating more 4-3 looks up front and getting Kawaan Short back to his natural 3-technique position should help.
With Mario Addison and Dontari Poe’s status up in the air, the Panthers still need to add a run stuffer inside next to Short. Fortunately, there should be a player available at No. 7 who can fill that need perfectly.
Scouting Report:
Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown stands at a whopping 6-foot-5, 320 pounds. He has been a consistent All-American and has played against some of the best offensive line talent college football has to offer. Brown is a special competitor and even better athlete. His upper body strength and the ability to simply drive an offensive lineman back is unparalleled in this class.
Although Brown is an absolute mountain, he is explosive off the ball and has the first step quickness of an edge rusher to penetrate his gap on nearly every snap. The only knock on Brown is that he relies too much on his upper body strength at times and plays too upright. However, that is something that should be easily correctible with the right coaching.
When you watch him on film, you’ll see Brown is basically living in the backfield and never giving up on a play. He is best fit at defensive tackle as a pure three technique in a 4-3 scheme.
College numbers
In 44 games at Auburn, Brown totaled 12.5 sacks, 33 tackles for a loss, five force fumbles and eight pass breakups.
Highlights
Brown vs. LSU
Brown vs. Alabama
Brown vs. Florida
Brown vs. Oregon
Brown vs. Minnesota
Fit with the Panthers:
Brown would be able to step right in and be a force right away for Phil Snow’s defense. He would bring a lot of disruptiveness up front and help take away the double team pressure on Kawaan Short. A defensive tackle tandem of Short and Brown would instantly be one of the best in the NFL and help the Panthers defend the run for a long time.
On Feb. 7, 2016, the Denver Broncos (15-4) defeated the Carolina Panthers (17-2) 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium, marking the third time in franchise history the Broncos had won the NFL’s championship game.
Denver superstar outside linebacker Von Miller dominated the contest, totaling six tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Miller took home Most Valuable Player honors after helping shut down Carolina’s offense.
Fellow outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware recorded two sacks of his own and the Broncos’ defense overall sacked Panthers quarterback Cam Newton six times. Newton had no touchdown passes, one interception and two lost fumbles in the contest, finishing with a 55.4 passer rating.
Denver quarterback Peyton Manning didn’t have a great game himself — 13-of-23 for 141 yards with no touchdowns and one interception — but he did convert a two-point attempt in what ended up being his final game in the NFL. Manning leaned on running back C.J. Anderson, who finished the day with 100 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
Denver was considered a five-point underdog going into the Super Bowl and ended up winning by 14 points. Not bad — not bad at all!
Here are five players that could be cap casualties this year. All salary info comes courtesy of Over the Cap.
The Panthers won’t have a ton of money to play around with this year unless they make some significant cuts. Even after losing Luke Kuechly to retirement and parting ways with Greg Olsen, they will only have between $33 million and $36 million in salary cap space.
Here are five players that could be cap casualties this year. All salary info comes courtesy of Over the Cap.
RB Mike Davis
Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $3,000,000
Dead money: $0
Signing Davis was always a bit of a head-scratching move. Christian McCaffrey rarely if ever comes off the field and they have two young, cheap backs already on the roster in Reggie Bonnafon and Jordan Scarlett. Davis can contribute for a run-heavy kind of team that needs depth, but the Panthers aren’t one of them. Consider him as good as cut.
