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Both Matt Rhule and Christian McCaffrey had some high praise for Chuba Hubbard on Friday following the Panthers’ eighth training camp practice.
This weekend will be a pretty monumental one for the Carolina Panthers organization, as franchise icon Sam Mills will take his rightful spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon. But before we get to that, the team still has some work to do.
Here are the top takeaways from the first of those two practices ahead of the upcoming festivities in Canton, Ohio.
How does the 2018 class look in retrospect?
There is no question that the 2018 recruiting class for the LSU Tigers was huge for the program. For one it brought in soon-to-be Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow and the 2019 Biletnikoff winner Ja’Marr Chase.
One name that seems to be forgotten among the laundry list of great players on that national championship team is Terrace Marshall Jr. He didn’t put up the yards that Chase and Justin Jefferson did but all Marshall did was catch touchdowns.
According to The Athletic’s Max Olson (subscription required), that No. 15 class would get a bump up after revisiting the class that helped win a national championship. Two members of the class were on display at Super Bowl LVI for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Top Signees:
The only reason why this Ed Orgeron haul doesn’t rank higher is the misses, including 10 players who transferred out. This could be considered a bit of a boom-or-bust class – Kelvin Joseph and Dare Rosenthal succeeded at Kentucky – but let’s not lose sight of the legacy. This class brought in the key players needed to win it all.
Other notable signees from this class:
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They may not have produced at a high level, but the Panthers’ 2021 rookie class should certainly have a few keepers moving forward.
The Carolina Panthers, as well as their fans, probably thought they came out of the 2021 NFL draft with a franchise-altering type of class. And, quite frankly, how could you not hope for that with a franchise-record 11 picks?
Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly the case—at least not yet.
The first-year reviews for the 2021 draft classes are in at ESPN and the Panthers have settled in at No. 18 in their overall rankings.
“Carolina’s rookie class produced at a middling level in 2021. No rookie stood out, while few performed well below expectation, and first-round pick Jaycee Horn missing most of the season didn’t help,” notes the collaborative piece between the worldwide leader and Pro Football Focus. “Wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. actually ended up as their least-valuable rookie for the season, per PFF WAR, which would have been a surprise to some in the offseason.”
Marshall Jr.’s startling lack of production was a surprise indeed considering the preseason hype garnered by Carolina’s second-rounder. The LSU wideout—who went for 181 receiving yards and a touchdown over three exhibition outings—amassed just 138 yards with no scores over 13 regular-season games.
On the other side of the spectrum, running back Chuba Hubbard ended up leading the team in rushing in the absence of Christian McCaffrey. The fourth-rounder took 172 attempts for 612 yards and five end-zone visits.
But regardless of the underwhelming numbers as a whole, the Panthers should still be of the thought that they have a handful of keepers out of this group.
On offense, Brady Christensen showed he could hold his own at left tackle while Tommy Tremble and Shi Smith flashed some signs of promise. On defense, eighth overall pick Jaycee Horn shined before succumbing to a season-ending foot injury in Week 3, fellow cornerback Keith Taylor Jr. proved to be a fifth-round bargain and defensive linemen Daviyon Nixon and Phil Hoskins were able to work their ways into a crowded trench.
So while they didn’t really put the league on notice in their rookie campaigns, there’s still plenty of time for this talented bunch to make an imprint. Patience, young grasshoppers.
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Panthers WR Terrace Marshall Jr. ends his quiet rookie campaign with just 17 receptions for 138 yards and zero touchdowns.
The buzz started for Terrace Marshall Jr. almost as soon as the Carolina Panthers selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. Unfortunately, he hardly got started himself once his season began.
On Wednesday, the team announced the placement of Marshall Jr. (foot) on the injured reserve, effectively keeping him out of the Week 18 finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and putting a cap on his rookie campaign. The year’s 59th overall pick, who was expected to play a decent role for the Carolina offense following an eye-opening preseason, amassed just 17 receptions for 138 and zero touchdowns.
Joining him was offensive tackle Cameron Erving (calf), who didn’t quite have the 2021 he was probably hoping for either. The seventh-year veteran started in just nine games at left tackle after signing a two-year, $10 million contract this past offseason.
In some good news, however, the team was able to activate defensive end Haason Reddick, tight end Tommy Tremble, quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Reggie Bonnafon off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Plus, an additional pair of roster moves saw the team sign defensive end Jacob Tuioti-Mariner off the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad and add cornerback Jalen Julius back to theirs.
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This duo is still showing their pass-catching prowess at the NFL level.
Just two years ago in Baton Rouge, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson were putting up video game-like numbers for the LSU Tigers. That championship season ended with the Bayou Bengals going a perfect 15-0. Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy on the way to a record year. His 60-touchdown record has since been broken by Bailey Zappe, but it is still viewed as one of the best seasons ever.
In 2019 the duo combined for 3,320 yards and 38 touchdowns. That doesn’t even factor in the 671 yards and 13 touchdowns from Terrace Marshall Jr, who is now in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. According to NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth who is the owner and chairman of Pro Football Focus, the duo of Chase and Jefferson are still at it in the NFL. They are the best two receivers against single coverage.
Leaders in receiving yards vs. single coverage:
Justin Jefferson – 794
Ja’Marr Chase – 762How amazing was that 2019 @LSUfootball team?
— Cris Collinsworth (@CollinsworthPFF) December 22, 2021
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Jefferson’s numbers account for 59.4% of his total yardage. As for rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, his 762 yards account for 73.4% of his total. Despite not playing in the Joe Brady system at the NFL level, they are showing that it was more than just the playcalling that allowed them to strike fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators.
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Well, so much for the Panthers’ two-quarterback system, huh?
The Carolina Panthers were getting on everyone’s last nerve by blissfully employing their odd two-quarterback approach. Heck, even P.J. Walker admitted that it isn’t much fun, and he’s the backup.
Well, maybe he had more fun not playing at all in the team’s 31-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 . . .
Matt Rhule covered a lot over 25 minutes on Monday. Here are the biggest takeaways from his presser as the Panthers head into their bye.
When you’re in the situation the Carolina Panthers are currently in, there are a lot of questions to be answered. So, that’s exactly what head coach Matt Rhule did on Monday morning.
Let’s take a run down Rhule’s weightiest quotes from his day-after-presser following his team’s awful Week 12 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Panthers rookie WR Terrace Marshall Jr. is a healthy scratch for Week 12’s matchup with the Dolphins.
Expectations were high coming into 2021 for Carolina Panthers receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. Unfortunately, he has yet to get off the ground here in his rookie campaign.
The second-round pick was amongst the inactives for the Panthers in their Week 12 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Since he had not been listed on any of the week’s injury reports, the rookie will be sidelined on a healthy scratch.
Marshall Jr., who was expected to effectively take up the No. 3 spot behind DJ Moore and Robby Anderson, has amassed just 14 catches for 116 yards and no touchdowns over nine games. He missed the team’s outings in Weeks 7 and 8 due to a concussion.
Fellow rookie wideout Shi Smith, instead, is active—presumably taking Marshall Jr.’s place.
Here’s the full list of inactives for Carolina:
WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
G John Miller
QB Matt Barkley
S Kenny Robinson
CB Rashaan Melvin
LB Kamal Martin
TE Colin Thompson
And here’s who’s down for Miami:
CB Trill Williams
S Brandon Jones
S Will Parks
LB Darius Hodge
TE Adam Shaheen
DT John Jenkins
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After being designated to return off the IR, Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey suffered no setbacks in practice on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers designated running back Christian McCaffrey to return off the injured reserve.
That, of course, was a necessary step towards the superstar’s comeback after a month-long absence. And, according to head coach Matt Rhule, today’s practice was a necessary and positive step forward as well.
Rhule told reporters that McCaffrey was “pretty limited” in his activity today, but did not suffer any type of setback. The team will continue to monitor his progress throughout the week leading up to Sunday’s matchup with the New England Patriots.
Carolina also has 21 days to move McCaffrey to the active roster upon opening his practice window.
Here’s Wednesday’s injury report from the Panthers.
| Injury | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Game status | |
| CB C.J. Henderson | Shoulder | Full | |||
| LB Shaq Thompson | Foot | Limited | |||
| WR Terrace Marshall Jr. | Concussion | Full | |||
| T Cameron Erving | Knee | Full | |||
| C Matt Paradis | Knee | Full | |||
| CB Stephon Gilmore | Quad | Full | |||
| QB Sam Darnold | Concussion/Right shoulder | Limited | |||
| LB Jermaine Carter Jr. | Ankle | Full | |||
| CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver III | Toe | Limited |
Although lengthy, the list is rather encouraging. Linebacker Shaq Thompson and cornerback Stephon Gilmore both practiced in full following their returns in Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons. Additionally, rookie wideout Terrace Marshall Jr. came back as a full participant after having missed the last two games with a concussion.
Darnold’s status, just as McCaffrey’s, remains relatively unclear at this early stage of the week. Backup P.J. Walker received all the first-team reps today.
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Panthers LB Shaq Thompson is getting closer, but he’ll be out today against the Giants.
Sunday’s absence of Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson is certainly no surprise. After all, the team had already ruled him out well ahead of the trip to take on the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
There is, though, at least an encouraging sign for his status moving forward.
Thompson, who will now be missing his third straight contest, was on the field prior to today’s contest for pregame workouts. The seventh-year backer is currently dealing with a plantar fascia issue.
Shaq Thompson’s foot wasn’t ready for this week, but good sign for next week that he’s out there pregame pic.twitter.com/VD9JGz41ft
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) October 24, 2021
Here’s the full list of inactives for the Panthers:
LB Shaq Thompson
WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
FB Giovanni Ricci
OT Cameron Erving
DT Phil Hoskins
DE Darryl Johnson
CB Rashaan Melvin
As confirmed yesterday, Erving will miss his second outing of the season, this time with an illness. Rookie Brady Christensen will start in his place.
Marshall Jr., who will be sidelined due to a concussion, is also joined by fellow wideout Brandon Zylstra, who was placed on the injured reserve earlier in the week. Carolina called up practice squad receivers Keith Kirkwood and Aaron Parker to help soften the blow.
The Giants, obviously, will not be nearly as well off:
RB Saquon Barkley
WR Kenny Golladay
WR Kadarius Toney
WR Sterling Shepard
CB Josh Jackson
CB Sam Beal
DT Danny Shelton
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