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Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #19

by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments

Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #19

Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.

COVERED TEAMS: Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, Patriots, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams, Giants, Cowboys, Saints, Steelers

We are out of the 20s and into the teens, with only 19 teams remaining. The full Madden ratings are out, so we are finally able to start looking at how our teams will stack against one another. We are a few spots away still from the playoff teams, but like I mentioned before, these teams here can surprise us and push into that final Wild Card spot. 

 

 

 

#19 - Carolina Panthers (Malik)

 

(6-10 Projected Record)

 

 

 

I think everyone is thrilled by the return of Malik to the league, one of the more interesting coaches in his brief time in hear a few years ago. After a hiatus, he has returned to the Carolina Panthers to see if he can bring glory back to Carolina, amid a team making drastic changes.

Gone are the faces of the offense and defense, Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly respectively. Enter new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and a defense that just added an entire draft's worth of prospects to fill in the gaps. The questions along the roster are many, but the biggest one for me, is this team tanking or trying to compete?

Let's take a look at this roster in depth, in a difficult division, and see if Malik has a chance to hit over the 6 win mark.

One Big Question

With an entirely defensive draft, and Coach Malik returning to Red Zone, do the Panthers have enough talent on offense to compete in a loaded NFC South?

The NFC South is one of the most interesting divisions in the leauge, with tons of storylines, talent, and great coaching. Despite ranking the Saints fourth in this division due to the unknown of Spencer, they are still a great team, and Spencer showed flashes last cycle of competence. 

With Kelly and Tauph in the South, it will be tough for lesser talented teams to compete, such as the Panthers. The constant theme with this roster will be great pieces at certain areas, but very limited in others.

The biggest addition offensively was acquiring quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in free agency to replace Cam Newton, who hasn't played a full season in 3 years since his horrific knee injury. He filled in for an injured Drew Brees last year and looked like his old self, inspiring a major cash-in. He has never been a superstar passer, but has weapons around him that can elevate his game.

Defensively, the Panthers spent all 7 of their draft picks this year on the defensive side of the football, showing their clear lack of faith in that unit. Two pass rushers in the first two rounds, along with 4 pieces for the secondary.

The Panthers are actually underrated on offense, with elite offensive weapon Christian McCaffrey, the blossoming star D.J. Moore, and speedster Curtis Samuel. If Malik can utilize Bridgewater's strengths, this team has a real shot to be competitive. 

One Big Schedule Issue

I already mentioned that I think the NFC South is a really tough division, although I do value Malik as a coach more than Spencer at this point, the Saints roster is dramatically better. I think all 6 games in the South will be very difficult for the Panthers to win.

They play the AFC West, meaning they get to face the Chargers, Broncos, Raiders, and Chiefs, four very difficult games. The NFC North is a bit easier, but a date with Green Bay is a tough one. Even their fourth place matchups are tough, against Washington (Weed) and the Cardinals (Ramesu).

There aren't many games on the Panthers schedule I think they are clear favorites in. One strange thing, I do have them going 4-2 in the NFC South. I think Malik is going to sweep New Orleans, and split with both Tampa Bay and Atlanta. He is a very good coach, and will find ways to make life difficult for his division mates.

Outside of that 4 win South record, the schedule is brutal. I don't think he has the firepower at quarterback, and the experience on defense to compete with the likes of Green Bay and Arizona.

Reasons for Optimism

Christian McCaffrey is one of the best, if not the best, weapons in the entire game. A threat as a receiver and rusher, look for Malik to build an offense to get the football in his hands. I could see McCaffrey flirting with a 1000/1000 season. Bridgewater isn't a deep threat quarterback, so expect to see him utilize McCaffrey frequently.

The Panthers receiving core is actually sneaky good, with the aforementioned D.J. Moore leading the way. They brought in Robby Anderson in free agency, and had the speedster Curtis Samuel already. I also like the upside of tight end Ian Thomas, one of the faster players at his position in the leauge.

The Panthers have a really solid right tackle in Taylor Moton, who should be around for a long time. Outisde of him, they have a ton of work to do on the line, especially considering they traded away Trai Turner.

Defensively, Kawann Short is one of the best remaining players, and is definitely the Panthers best lineman as of today. He should lead this young group in sacks, at least starting out. The Panthers also have a great pair of safeties, in Tre Boston and Juston Burris. 

In the draft I love what the Panthers did early, taking defensive tackle Derrick Brown in the 1st round, and edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos in the second round, two guys who should help transform this front seven. 

Reasons for Negativity

The losses on defense are going to hurt right away for Carolina, with big names James Bradberry and Luke Kuechly departing in the offseason. The Panthers secondary is shaky at the cornerback position, as they will be relying on guys like Eli Apple and Donte Jackson to pick up the slack, and linebacker Tahir Whitehead to try and fill the hole left by Kuechly. 

The offensive line isn't great as I mentioned above, as the Panthers made a head-scratching trade, swapping Trai Turner for left tackle Russell Okung, who has struggled recently. Inside, guards Michael Schofield and John Miller do not inspire confidence, while center Matt Paradis is no Ryan Kalil.

The contract for Teddy Bridgewater was a strange one as well, as Bridgewater himself is not only a limited passer, he is also very unproven. He is almost 3 years removed from being a full-time starter, so the Panthers are completely banking on him bouncing back to his former efficient self. I do like the weapons around Teddy, but paying $20 million per year for his services seems like overkill. 

Last Word

Malik is going to build up this roster into a force, I have no doubt about that, but it will take some time. Finding the right quarterback to lead this offense, while building up the protection around that quarterback. The Panthers will be freeing up almost $75 million over the next two offseasons, so that money needs to be spent wisely.

Developing the young defense will be paramount for future success, as guys like Brown and Gross-Matos could be around for the entire cycle. In a division with great offensive lines, Malik needs these two to develop into stars.

Right away I see the Panthers struggling, but as the Saints and Falcons continue to age, I think the Panthers will start to challenge the Buccaneers for the division early on. Give Malik a few offseasons, but he will have this team headed in the right direction.