The Carolina Panthers are searching for answers — and so are their fans — following a 1-8 start to what has become a forgettable first campaign under head coach Frank Reich.
While it’s hard to find solutions for this struggling football franchise, The Observer is happy to offer some perspective to fans who send questions to the Panthers mailbag.
Here are three questions we received from social media:
Steven asks: Is there any chance they start Andy Dalton? I know people don’t like the idea but Bryce (Young) looks lost and is panicking right now. I know it’s not all his fault, but I think we could ruin his confidence by keep putting him out there and getting him sacked five or six times a game.
Mike Kaye: While it’s hard to rule out anything with this franchise, going back to Dalton seems like a very unlikely scenario, barring an injury for Young.
The team already had two avenues to move Dalton to the starting lineup for long stretches: the offseason program and Young’s Week 3 injury absence against the Seattle Seahawks. Despite both cases, the team rushed Young into the starting lineup with conviction.
Young is having some struggles with his pocket presence and timing in recent weeks. Concerns with those habits, likely brought on by his struggling offensive line and underwhelming supporting cast of weapons, are valid.
While Dalton might run a better operation than Young at this point, the only reason to make that switch is to save face with the 2024 first-round draft pick heading to Chicago as part of the trade up to acquire the rookie quarterback.
It’s fair to say that a benching might sway Young’s confidence more than some added bumps and bruises.
This season has largely been about figuring out Young, who cost the team a treasure trove of assets to acquire. The Panthers should be patient with Young, and in turn, figure out ways to better the ecosystem around him, even with limited opportunities down the stretch.
Daniel asks: With the offensive pedigree of Frank Reich, Thomas Brown, Josh McCown, and Jim Caldwell, why does it seem the Panthers are trying to force players unsuccessfully into their scheme rather than scheme around the players they do have? The whole thing has seemed clunky and disjointed since the preseason.
I think the issues stem from both the coaching staff and the front office.
Despite having a thoroughly collaborative process in the offseason, it does indeed feel like there is a disconnect between scheme and talent, particularly on the offensive line.
Last season, the Panthers crushed opposing defenses with a power-heavy run approach with four of their incumbent starting offensive linemen. The team has moved to a more zone-heavy blocking scheme this season, seemingly playing against the strengths of power linemen, like left tackle Ickey Ekwonu and center Bradley Bozeman, among others.
Reich said Monday that Carolina doesn’t want to be an old-school, smash-mouth offense, which is what the unit was under former interim head coach Steve Wilks and former offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo last year.
The offensive line, as a result of the change in approach, is struggling to run block efficiently. Due to that inefficiency on the ground, the Panthers are having trouble selling play-action in their shotgun and pistol-heavy offense, which is, in turn, limiting the pass game fluidity.
So, the play-calling is seemingly manufacturing quick throws to help Young avoid as much pressure as possible. That outlook has limited the amount of explosive plays in the team’s passing arsenal. The trend has also taken away a bit of Young’s artistry as an improviser, as slow-developing downfield plays lend to Young’s ability to make off-script throws.
Also, the issue with the timing-heavy concepts is that the receivers and tight ends are struggling to get open quickly and effectively.
At wide receiver, the Panthers have mostly slot receiver talent. Sure, Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall can play Z and X receiver, but they are most effective in the slot based on their backgrounds and traits. The issue with that is that Adam Thielen, the Panthers’ most reliable playmaker, is a premier slot receiver. So, in order to get Mingo and Marshall onto the field, they have to play outside.
DJ Chark, along with being routinely injured, is playing the X position and is facing regular press coverage as a result. Chark has spent most of his career as the flanker (Z) receiver.
The issues on offense, to me, are cyclical and snowballing. They are seemingly the result of the staff making up for the talent and the scheme attempting to justify assignments.
Jaylon asks: Do you think it’s more likely that the Panthers clean house, or just let go of GM Scott Fitterer? Logically, a house cleaning makes sense because owner David Tepper has never hired a GM and head coach on the same cycle but you truly never know with this team.
The Panthers preached a collaborative environment all offseason.
The Panthers had a leadership counsel perform the head coaching search to make the hire of Reich. The front office and Reich then collaborated on the filling of the coaching staff, the signing of free agents and the scouting of the top quarterbacks. So, by that token, Fitterer and Reich, and really the entire leadership counsel, including the Teppers, should be linked to the success (or lack thereof) of the Panthers.
That said, if Tepper were to decide to move on from someone in a leadership position, it would be logical to have a fresh slate entirely, as the piece-together approach hasn’t worked to this point.
Fitterer has been around longer and is the last major connection to the Matt Rhule era. But Reich’s output so far has been awful, and his vaunted superstar staff has underwhelmed as well in most areas. So, with that in mind, barring a plea from Young to keep specific leaders in house for his development, it’s hard to understand why full-scale changes wouldn’t take place if Tepper were to send out some pink slips.
Right now, nothing seems inevitable outside of general change. It’s not looking good for anyone on the surface, but there are eight games left and Tepper has already had a couple of pressure points — logical spots to make major change — to fire leadership this season. He chose to pass on dismissing anyone at the bye and didn’t move a muscle during the recent long weekend following the embarrassing loss to Chicago.
Barring an annihilation at home against the Dallas Cowboys this week (or maybe the Green Bay Packers next month), it’s hard to see Tepper making a major move before the end of the season. If the Panthers continue to struggle mightily, everyone should be on notice entering the business season.
This story was originally published November 15, 2023, 5:30 AM.
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