Tag: robert hunt

NASCAR Racing Experience rolls out custom Panthers stock car

The Panthers are on the fast track.

The Carolina Panthers are on the fast track in 2024 . . . literally.

As they broke off of this year’s final leg of organized team activities, the squad took a bit of a field trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway this week. The visit included a thrilling pit crew competition, an inspiring talk from NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon and, of course, some trips around the track.

Oh, and some of the players were able to take those trips around the track in this beauty . . .

Panthers.com

The custom wrap, per Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, was ordered by vice president of player affairs Kevin Winston. The car will remain part of the NASCAR Racing experience stable for the rest of the year.

Gantt was able to get a few words from guard Robert Hunt, who somehow fit his 6-foot-6, 323-pound frame in the ride.

“It was fun. It was an experience. I’m glad I did it,” Hunt said. “Would I do it again? Maybe not, but I did it today. I was pretty nervous, and the car was all crammed on me. So I’m like, God, please let me get through these couple of laps to get done, man. But I enjoyed the ride.

“The car was a little cramped on my back, and there wasn’t a lot of room to move my legs, but we got through it. Yeah, it ain’t meant for me, man. I’m meant to be on the football field, or a basketball court, you know what I mean? Something outside where I can move, and you know, get some space. I can’t do nothing in there, man. It’s too little.”

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2 Panthers land in PFF’s top-32 guard rankings

A couple of new hog mollies landed on PFF’s top guard rankings.

The Carolina Panthers didn’t sign over $153 million for a pair of stiffs.

Pro Football Focus recently released their list of the NFL’s top 32 guards entering the 2024 campaign. In at No. 10 is new Panthers right guard Robert Hunt.

Contributor Thomas Valentine writes:

Hunt’s numbers in 2023 were exceptional. He allowed just five pressures, the second fewest of any guard in the NFL, and surrendered the lowest pressure rate (1.3%). Those numbers were boosted by a quarterback-friendly offense predicated on Tua Tagovailoa getting the ball out fast, but Hunt still held up his end of the bargain.

His reward was a five-year, $100 million contract from the Carolina Panthers. Hunt will now spend the next five years protecting Bryce Young. His 77.1 overall grade in 2023 ranked sixth among guards.

That grade is somewhat of a sample size, as the 6-foot-6, 335-pounder missed seven games due to a hamstring injury. He was, however, able to return for the regular-season finale as well as the Miami’s Wild Card Round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Hunt is joined by his fellow starter and the 29th hog molly of the list Damien Lewis, who also inked a lucrative deal with the Panthers this offseason:

Lewis was a starter in his four years with the Seattle Seahawks, before earning a four-year, $53 million contract with the Carolina Panthers in the offseason.

Lewis’ 59.6 PFF overall grade in 2023 was the second lowest of his career, but he has earned a 68.0 pass-blocking grade over the past two seasons — which is more than respectable. He’ll need to be at his best to protect Bryce Young in Carolina moving forward.

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Robert Hunt tabbed as Panthers’ X-factor for 2024 season

Robert Hunt could be the key for Carolina’s offense in 2024.

A pretty big key to the Carolina Panthers’ 2024 season may be a pretty big man.

Jim Wyman and Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus recently named each NFL team’s X-factor heading into the new campaign. For Carolina, they settle on guard Robert Hunt—one of the team’s newest (and most expensive) additions:

When your starting quarterback stands well under 6 feet tall, pass protection should be a top priority. Carolina’s interior offensive line finished 31st in pass-blocking grade last season, giving Bryce Young no chance to scan the field. The team now has ex-Dolphin Robert Hunt, who posted the seventh-best overall grade among guards and allowed just five pressures in 2023.

The 6-foot-6, 335-pounder signed a five-year, $100 million deal with the Panthers earlier this offseason. He’ll be tasked with bringing some stability to the right guard position—a spot that saw seven different starters this past year.

2023 also saw Young sacked a total of 62 times, the second-highest mark in the entire league.

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Panthers listed amongst NFL’s most improved offenses for 2024

The Panthers could be heading into the 2024 campaign with one of the NFL’s most improved offenses.

When you amass the fewest yards and fewest points in the entire NFL, there’s literally nowhere to go but up. Well, that’s the case for the 2024 Carolina Panthers—who may be primed to start that positive trajectory.

David Kenyon of Bleacher Report recently listed off the league’s most improved offensive units. The Panthers, after retooling their personnel this offseason, come in at No. 4.

Kenyon writes:

Last year, the Carolina Panthers mustered only 13.9 points per game with a league-worst 4.1 yards per play. Bryce Young struggled mightily—and didn’t have a great situation—in a nightmarish rookie year.

There is plenty of optimism about 2024, though. Carolina inked guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to big-money contracts in hopes of improving the blocking. Yosh Nijman also provides some experienced depth to the unit as a swing tackle.

At receiver, the Panthers traded for Diontae Johnson and used their opening draft pick on Xavier Legette.

Carolina further padded the offense with second-round running back Jonathon Brooks and fourth-round tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders.

Similar to Washington, the additions won’t necessarily lead to a dramatic ascent in 2024. But the Panthers should feel a whole lot more confident in the new-look offense this season.

Hunt and Lewis, for one, signed to a combined $153 million out of free agency. The duo is expected to start on the interior, with Austin Corbett kicking into the middle at center.

At the wideout spot, Johnson and Legette should give Young some open windows and explosive playmaking ability—two pluses he didn’t see much of in 2023. Plus, Brooks and Sanders could prove to be long-term answers at two positions that have needed them.

And hopefully for the Panthers, their new offensive-minded head coach Dave Canales is able to tie it all together . . . for much more than 13.9 points per game and 4.1 yards per play.

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PFF names Panthers’ 3 best players ahead of 2024 season

PFF named the Panthers’ big three going into the 2024 campaign.

Who is in the Carolina Panthers’ big three?

Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema has rounded up the top three players for each team as we head into the 2024 campaign. Starting off the trio for Carolina is an obvious choice—defensive tackle Derrick Brown.

Brown is fresh off setting the NFL’s single-season record for most tackles by a lineman. The first-time Pro Bowler also lit up numbers for PFF, earning a career-high 90.9 overall defensive grade.

Following Brown is Jaycee Horn, who has proved to be one of the league’s most effective cornerbacks . . . when he’s on the field. The oft-injured former eighth overall pick earned an 84.1 overall mark over six games in 2023, topping his 74.1 from 2022 and his 67.8 from 2021.

Rounding out the group is free-agent signing Jadeveon Clowney. Sikkema wrote the following about the three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher:

Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney posted the third-highest season grade of his career last year (85.7), and although he is new to the team and only getting older, he is one of the Panthers’ top players. No single full-time Panthers offensive player earned a season grade above 78.0 in 2023.

Sikkema noted that guard Robert Hunt, who inked a five-year, $100 million pact with the Panthers this offseason, was also under consideration for a spot.

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PFF gives Panthers’ 2024 offseason underwhelming grade

According to PFF, the Panthers’ 2024 offseason was . . . aight.

With organized team activities officially coming up next week, the 2024 offseason is largely behind us. So, how did the Carolina Panthers do?

Well, Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema thinks they did . . . just alright. When grading each team’s offseason, he gives the Panthers a ‘C+’ mark:

Firing a head coach after just one year isn’t great, but you could tell there was just no saving the relationship between Frank Reich and owner David Tepper. I am excited about what Dave Canales could be as a head coach, so I’ll remain positive there.

The Panthers lost some big-name players, such as Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu. They also said goodbye to Jeremy Chinn, Bradley Bozeman and Hayden Hurst.

It’s hard to see the fumbling of the Burns situation as anything other than an impactful net negative. However, they did stay aggressive to bring in some good players like Jadeveon Clowney, Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis and Diontae Johnson.

It was tough for the Panthers to make the big draft splash they needed without their original first-round pick, but I believe Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks can be early contributors, and Ja’Tavion Sanders could be TE1 at some point.

If nothing else, the Panthers did exactly what they needed to this offseason—make Bryce Young the priority. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick now has $153 million’s worth of starting guards in Hunt and Lewis, a fresh group of weapons in Legette, Brooks and Sanders and a quarterback-friendly head coach in Canales.

The losses Sikkema notes, particularly Burns and Luvu, may be tough to overcome at first—especially for a team that finished last in sacks this past season. But at least they’re giving their young passer a chance, something they couldn’t say was ultimately the case last year.

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Where do Panthers fall in ESPN’s post-draft power rankings?

Did the Panthers budge off the bottom of ESPN’s power rankings?

It looks like it’ll take more than just an offseason to get the Carolina Panthers out of the basement.

ESPN’s NFL Nation staff just compiled a new set of power rankings fresh off the 2024 draft. And as we head into OTAs, the Panthers—just as they did in the post-free agency rankings—bring up the rear for the worldwide leader at No. 32.

But hey, at least they improved one of the areas that contributed most to the 2023-worst 2-15 record. David Newton writes of Carolina’s offensive line:

This easily could have been wide receiver with the additions of Diontae Johnson and first-round pick Xavier Legette, but quarterback Bryce Young was sacked a team-record 62 times so giving him time to find his receivers was the first priority. GM Dan Morgan did that by signing free agent guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis and shifting guard Austin Corbett to center. Inside pressure resulted in 35 of Young’s sacks and hindered his ability to effectively run the offense.

Hunt and Lewis signed to a combined $153 million—with the former inking a five-year, $100 million deal and the latter a four-year, $53 million deal. That pair of big-money additions has, as Newton notes, moved right guard Austin Corbett to center and left guard Brady Christensen into a sixth man role—giving the group some solid depth.

As for their draft additions on offense, the Panthers used three of their first four selections (Legette, running back Jonathon Brooks and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders) to improve Young’s arsenal of weapons.

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Are the Panthers projected to land any 2025 compensatory picks?

Should the Panthers be expecting some extra help in next year’s draft?

One team’s treasure is another team’s treasure.

With the 2024 NFL draft now in the books, we’re beyond the point of consideration for compensatory free agents. That means the loss of key free agents can no longer be thrown into the formula for 2025 compensatory picks.

So, Over The Cap contributor Nick Korte has cooked up some projections for those selections—and, unsurprisingly, the Carolina Panthers didn’t make the list.

Yeah, that’s typically what happens when you’re the top spenders of the offseason.

What also usually happens is restitution for the teams those top spenders took from. And boy, did the Panthers ever take.

According to Korte, four of Carolina’s free-agent signings should result in compensatory picks elsewhere. Those players, teams and projected rounds for the picks are as follows:

The Panthers kicked off their free-agent escapades by landing both Hunt and Lewis—who signed to a combined $153 million. They’d eventually follow up with two-year deals for Nijman and Clowney—whose pacts can be worth up to $15 million and $24 million, respectively.

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Dolphins projected to have 10 picks in 2025 NFL draft

The Dolphins haven’t had much draft capital in recent offseasons, but that’s set to change in 2025.

The Miami Dolphins haven’t had much draft capital in recent offseasons, but that should change in 2025. Even after trading away a future third-round pick on Saturday, the Dolphins are still projected to have 10 selections in the 2025 NFL draft.

For now, they officially own seven picks:

  • First round
  • Second round
  • Fourth round
  • Fifth round (via Broncos)
  • Fifth round
  • Seventh round (via Bears)
  • Seventh round

The Dolphins are expected to add three more when the NFL announces compensatory selections next year.

Losing Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt to nine-digit contracts in free agency will almost definitely result in a pair of extra third-round picks getting added to the Dolphins’ list of assets. General manager Chris Grier said the team made its trade for Jaylen Wright, in part, because it expects to get those two selections next year.

“You can’t use the compensatory picks until this time next year, so the ones we anticipate were all protected,” Grier said Saturday. “But it gave us some flexibility to move around, as we talked about us being active and trying to move up in the draft previously.”

While many of Miami’s other free agency losses were negated by a few of the team’s additions, Over The Cap projects the Dolphins will also get a seventh-round pick for the departure of safety DeShon Elliott.

The Dolphins haven’t received any compensatory selections since the 2020 NFL draft and haven’t had a third-rounder since 2017.

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Panthers’ Austin Corbett asked about move to center: ‘It was inevitable’

Austin Corbett on moving to center: “Everywhere I’ve been, everybody on the line will tell you I talk too much as a guard.”

Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Austin Corbett may have too big of a personality to play guard, and that shined through on Wednesday.

Following the team’s second outing of voluntary minicamp, the 28-year-old hog molly spoke about his move from right guard to center. Although he played coy at first, Corbett told reporters that the transition won’t be a challenging one.

“I guess we’ll find out, no?” he replied with a laugh when asked to confirm the switch.

“It’s been fun. I’ve been groomed to be a center my entire career. Kinda even starting back in college. Played every game at left tackle, but my head coach, Brian Polian, he’s like, ‘If you’re gonna play in the league, you’re gonna be a good center. You’re too smart not to.’ From that time, I’ve been constantly groomed to be a center.

“I’ve been the emergency center every team I’ve been on. Constantly taking reps. I was the starting center going into the Super Bowl year back in ’21, through training camp and ended up shifting around. The backup center was healthier than they thought, so shifted back out to right guard. So it’s nothing new, by any stretch of the imagination.”

Corbett has never logged a single regular-season snap from the position. His only in-game action at the spot has come in preseason play, when he lined up at center on 203 plays for the Cleveland Browns in 2019.

Carolina’s free-agent additions of guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis sparked the change for Corbett, who manned the right side of the interior in 2022 and 2023. His recent setbacks might’ve factored into the situation as well, as he missed 13 games this past season due to two knee injuries.

But as he gets back to full health, he says there’s another body part that’ll really give him an advantage in the middle.

“Everywhere I’ve been, everybody on the line will tell you I talk too much as a guard,” he added. “So it’s natural just to kick me in there now and have control anyway. It was inevitable at some point in my career. Every offensive line coach told me, ‘You’re gonna play center at one point. This is what you’re made to do.’ And here in 2024, it’s finally happening.”

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