Stumbling into the bye week at 5-7, the Carolina Panthers have more questions and doubts than answers for the rest of the season. Key injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Donte Jackson are two things that contributed to the derailment of Carolina’s season, but these injuries are not the only things that are contributing to the Panthers’ woes.
The issues at quarterback have been discussed enough, but I will say this…Cam Newton is not fixing the issues that ail this team. Despite two out of three decent games, Newton is still a quarterback that’s:
- Been a half a year removed from the game.
- Trying to learn a new system off the street and on the fly.
The only thing that remains the same for Newton during this second stint is the fact that the offensive line is still weak. There’s no adequate protection for him or CMC. It’s not hard to tell why CMC is often injured.
With that being said, I believe that the next step for the Panthers is to use the remaining games for roster evaluation. At this point, the playoffs are a long shot. Carolina doesn’t have the wins and even if they did, they don’t control their own destiny. At this point, they really don’t have anything to play for. So, why not see how CJ Henderson will look in the secondary rotation? Why not give Chubba Hubbard a closer look? Why not give Cam Newton the remaining games to acclimate himself to the system?
As far as the front office is concerned, they should do their own evaluations. They will have to evaluate whether or not this coaching staff is the right fit for the future. Granted Matt Rhule has a little bit of grace, he has three years to evolve and change. As far as the coordinators, namely Joe Brady, it’s fair game.
The Panthers might not have anything to play for in terms of a playoff berth, but these last few weeks of the season could (and should) be team defining for seasons ahead.