Carolina Panthers Off-Season Recap (2015-2016)

by Crimsion | 9 years ago | 1 Comments

The Carolina Panthers were able to string together a winning record (9-7) this past season despite fighting through injuries to their star players.

Second-year wideout, Kelvin Benjamin, missed the entire 2015 season with an ACL tear while his quarterback, Cam Newton suffered a pair of broken ribs forcing him to miss 3 games. 

This young Carolina squad tasted the post season once again, but fell short in their wildcard match up when they were hosted by the Minnesota Vikings.

As the clock struck 12 on SuperBowl Sunday the Carolina Panthers quickly went to work in an effort to challenge the Atlanta Falcons for supremecy in the NFC South.

Free Agency Recap

SS - Jeromy Miles (118 Tackles (57 solo), 4 INTs, 1 Def TD)

Miles, who was surely one of the top safety targets this past off-season, finds himself inserted into yet another starting role within the Panthers' organization from day 1. 

The 29-year-old defensive back will surely give the Panthers a much needed security blanket as he backs up the defense alongisde up and commer Tre Boston.

WR - Jaron Brown (22 Catches, 340 Yards, 5 TDs)

Last season the receiving corp in Carolina was pretty scarce to say the least, lead by veterans Ted Ginn Jr. and Jericho Cotchery. These two were unable to make up for the loss of star wideout Kelvin Benjamin, so the addition of Brown is a big one for this team.

Brown could very well assume slot receiver duties as the Panthers plan on pairing up their two young, big bodied receivers in Benjamin and Devin Funchess if the second-year receiver can prove himself in camp.

RE - Karl Klug (N/A)

Karl Klug remainded sidelined last season as he did not record a single tackle during the 2015 season. Coming into this stout Carolina defense Klug will get a chance to rotate into this versitile pass rush and provide the Panthers with some depth.

RT - Mitchell Schwartz (1 Sack Given Up)

Schwartz may just be one of the most vital signings the Panthers made this off-season. The 29-year-old lineman possesses pass blocking ability like no other, and for a quarterback that only managed to throw 19 touchdowns last season, Schwarts may easily become Cam's new best friend.

LT - Chris Hairston (5 Pancakes, 5 Sacks Given Up)

Hairston may be listed as a Left Tackle, but the Panthers have already informed him that he and Schwartz will have to make an adjustment as they swtich their respective sides. Hairston will allow Carolina to open up their rushing attack even more this upcoming season.

CB - Bradley Fletcher (18 Tackles (10 solo), 1 INT, 3 FF)

Upon the departure of Charles 'Peanut' Tillman, the Panthers found themselves with a huge hole to fill when it came to the depth of their defensive backs. Fletcher was looking for a new home and the zone-coverage specialist certainly found one in Carolina. Lining up alongside the likes of Josh Norman and Ben Benwikere, Fletcher can relish on the opportunities that those two will force his way.

CB - Tony Carter (35 Tackles (21 solo), 1 INT)

This 30-year-old corner will provide this young defensive back core with some veteran leadership, much like Fletcher, he may not be given starter level snaps, but Carter will certainly be a favourite for coach Future Hendrix to rotate in and out of this defensive scheme. 

HB - Chris Johnson (246 Att., 1,507 Yards, 19 Touchdowns [14 Rush, 5 Rec])

Johnson is familiar with his surroundings here in Carolina following his college days in East Carolina. The 8 year veteran showed the world that he certainly has some gas left in the tank, ammasing over 1,500 yards and findhing paydirt 19 times in New England last season.

The Panthers still plan on giving Stewart the bulk of the workload, but given Johnson's big play and pass catching ability it wouldn't be surprising to see this system work itself into that of a two backer.

Draft Recap

Taking part in his first draft within the organization, head coach Future Hendrix and GM Jay Charles looked to solidify their offense and they did just that within their first few rounds. Here's how their draft broke down:

Round 1 - WR - Sedrick Blue - Auburn - 5'9" - 196lbs (74 OVR)

This rookie wide-out reminds this organization of the future HOF Steve Smith very much so. Blue sits in a small frame, only 5'9, but is very explosive and can potentially crack the Panthers' starting rotation. The only thing sitting in his way is all 6'2 of Jaron Brown.

Round 2 - LE - Aramide Stokes - Penn State - 6'3" - 236lbs. (71 OVR)

Aramide may find himself behind a slew of talented defensive ends, Johnson, Klug, Ealy and Addison just to name a few. This isn't the end of the world for the second round pick though, with Johnson aging quickly, with the right preperation he could find himself winning a starting job in no time.

Round 3 - LT - Detchauz Robinson - Texas Tech - 6'6" - 320lbs. (73 OVR)

Robinson is also another player who may benefit from being stashed within this organization for a little bit just to polish his skill set. He already possesses the pass and run blocking ability along with the strengh to be a starting tackle for years to come, but his awareness to situations is what will hinder his snap count.

Round 4 - C - Wes Fuller - UCLA - 6'1" - 297lbs. (73 OVR)

Albeit he was selected in the 4th round, Fuller could find himself playing significant snaps sooner than both Robinson and Stokes. With current starting centre, Ryan Khalil surpassing the 30 mark he could choose to hang up the cleats at any moment in the near future, and when that time comes the Panthers won't hesistate to throw Fuller into the fire.

Round 5 - RG - Oscar Duncan - BYU - 6'2" - 308lbs. (61 OVR)

Round 6 - ROLB - Bakari Gore - Georgetown - 6'2" - 221bs. (62 OVR)

Round 7 - RG - Taylor White - Maine - 6'4" - 313lbs. (55 OVR)