Even before McCaffrey trade, Panthers weren't just a good QB away from competing

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carolina Panthers wide manager Scott Fitterer spent the offseason trying to physique a roster susceptible of challenging for a title if helium dropped the close backmost into the premix similar the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did with Tom Brady successful 2020.

“I deliberation we're a batch person this twelvemonth than we person been the past twelvemonth oregon two,’’ Fitterer said during the offseason.

Defensively, it’s getting there.

Offensively, it’s not close.

If anything, it’s been a implicit fail.

But getting determination successful the adjacent mates of years whitethorn beryllium much realistic aft Thursday’s commercialized of moving backmost Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers that netted 3 2023 draught picks (second-, third- and fourth-rounders) and 1 successful 2024 (fifth round) to springiness Fitterer the maneuverability to draught a backmost with a apical prime adjacent year.

“There’s a batch connected defence to physique with,’’ Fitterer said connected Friday. “We’ve rebuilt the violative line, which is the astir important happening erstwhile you’re bringing successful a young quarterback. ... We’re inactive gathering moving guardant wherever we tin driblet that backmost successful and go.’’

In different words, the experimentation to driblet 2018 No. 1 wide prime Baker Mayfield into this year’s lineup didn’t enactment and the Panthers volition apt absorption connected a beardown 2023 backmost draught people led by Kentucky’s Will Levis, Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud to prevention the day.

To beryllium clear, backmost play hasn’t been the lone occupation during their 1-5 start, which makes this much of a rebuild than a elemental fix. And beyond players, the Panthers apt volition person to prosecute an wholly caller coaching unit to regenerate Matt Rhule, who was fired, due to the fact that interim manager Steve Wilks doesn’t person capable talented players to person the “incredible” showing proprietor David Tepper said helium would privation to spot successful bid for Wilks to shed the "interim" tag.

Heading into Sunday’s crippled against the Buccaneers (1 p.m. ET, Fox), the rebuilt violative enactment ranks 30th successful walk artifact triumph complaint and 28th successful tally artifact triumph rate, according to ESPN Stats & Information data.

And present they are without McCaffrey and wide receiver Robbie Anderson, who was traded to the Arizona Cardinals connected Monday aft being kicked retired of Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams by Wilks.

It's improbable adjacent idiosyncratic similar Brady, a aboriginal Hall of Famer with 7 Super Bowl rings, would marque Carolina a playoff contender with this roster. His existent struggles with Tampa Bay (3-3), with the Bucs losers successful 3 of their past four, amusement adjacent helium needs help.

“The abbreviated reply is no,’’ Hall of Fame NFL enforcement Bill Polian said of whether Carolina’s roster is adjacent to being title caliber with a bully quarterback. “They’re a agelong mode away.’’

Here are immoderate reasons why:

The wide offense

Carolina ranks past successful the NFL successful full discourtesy (260 YPG) and 28th successful scoring (17.2 PPG). Even with McCaffrey steadfast for each six games, the team’s 90.3 rushing yards per crippled is amended than lone six teams, including the last-place Bucs astatine 67.5 YPG.

Only 3 teams person less passing yards per crippled than Carolina’s 169.7.

Third down is simply a immense issue. Carolina ranks past successful conversion complaint astatine 23.6 and has tally the fewest plays successful the NFL with 323, oregon 53.8 per game.

“There’s a batch of pieces you would person to person successful spot to person what happened successful Tampa occur, particularly with a seasoned quarterback,’’ Polian said, referring to the Bucs winning the Super Bowl successful Brady's archetypal play with the team.

Wide receivers

Carolina’s DJ Moore and Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills are the lone wide receivers to person astatine slightest 1,100 yards receiving the past 3 seasons.

Through six games this season, Diggs has 49 catches for 656 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Five Carolina receivers person a combined 47 catches for 635 yards and 3 touchdowns. Take Anderson’s 13 catches for 206 yards and 1 touchdown retired of the mix, present that he's gone, and that drops to 44 catches for 430 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Moore has lone 20 catches for 204 yards and 1 touchdown.

What appeared to beryllium a spot entering the play is present a weakness.

“They person lone 1 receiver successful Moore that is simply a apical formation guy,’’ Polian said.

Tight ends

Ian Thomas, known for his blocking, leads the Panthers with 10 catches connected 16 targets for 115 yards and 0 touchdowns. That ranks 40th successful the league.

Former caput manager Matt Rhule, fired past week, believed 2021 third-round pick Tommy Tremble would yet emerge, but helium has lone 5 catches for 42 gait and 0 touchdowns this season.

“He’s astir apt a [No. 2] astatine best,’’ Polian said of Tremble. “There’s cipher similar the feline that [quarterback] Cam [Newton] had successful [tight end] Greg Olsen, which is important for a young guy, oregon a tiny feline similar Mayfield.’’

Newton and Olsen were 1 of the champion quarterback-tight extremity combinations successful the NFL betwixt Newton’s rookie play successful 2011 and 2016. Olsen averaged 71 catches, 897.3 yards and 5.3 touchdowns during that time.

Brady had Rob Gronkowski during his 2020 Super Bowl run. Gronkowski had 45 catches for 623 yards and 7 touchdowns. Tampa Bay choky ends had 11 touchdown catches that season.

Another missing piece.

The violative line

Beyond the statistic mentioned above, Polian ne'er believed Ikem Ekwonu was a existent near tackle erstwhile the Panthers made him the No. 6 wide of the 2022 draft.

“The enactment is amended than past year, but I interest astir Ickey arsenic a near tackle,’’ Polian said. “He’s a phenomenal defender and possibly a close tackle, but I don’t cognize if he’s a near tackle.’’

Quarterback

The quarterbacks Carolina dropped into the lineup this play person failed. Mayfield had a 15.5 Total QBR done the archetypal 5 games earlier being sidelined with an ankle wounded that volition support him retired again connected Sunday. He’s headed for vocation worsts successful astir each statistical category.

PJ Walker, who volition marque his 2nd consecutive commencement this week and volition support the occupation if helium excels, didn’t fare immoderate amended the past Sunday. He completed 10 of 16 walk attempts for 60 yards, giving him a Total QBR of 5.6.

“Things haven’t happened and jelled arsenic rapidly arsenic we’d similar them to,’’ violative coordinator Ben McAdoo said. “That’s rather obvious. But I'm not discouraged.’’

Finances

On the positive side, the Panthers person 20 of 22 starters nether declaration for adjacent season. Quarterback and antiaircraft tackle Matt Ioannidis are the lone exceptions.

But considering Carolina is 1-5 with those starters, that’s not a large plus. The Panthers besides aren’t expected to person a batch of wage headdress country successful 2023 to motion big-time escaped agents without cutting immoderate of their own, though clearing McCaffrey’s 2023 headdress deed of $19,550,750 helped.

According to Spotrac information earlier the trade, they ranked 26th successful the NFL successful estimated headdress abstraction with minus-$4,708,627.

Samir Suleiman, the vice president of shot administration, told the squad website this week there’s a program successful place. He conservatively projected much than $80 cardinal successful headdress abstraction successful 2024 and $145 cardinal successful 2025.

But that’s 2 years away, and fans already are impatient with this season's commencement pursuing 4 consecutive losing seasons.

Will 2023 draught help?

The picks Carolina got for McCaffrey volition spell a agelong mode toward gathering for the future. Beyond those, they person 4 much successful 2023 (first-, second-, fourth- and fifth-rounders) and six successful 2024 (one each successful the archetypal six rounds).

Their 2023 first-rounder whitethorn extremity up being a top-three prime and apt volition person to beryllium utilized connected a quarterback, since Mayfield and Sam Darnold are successful the past twelvemonth of their respective contracts and neither has performed good capable to get a caller deal.

Fortunately for Carolina, this is simply a beardown people of quarterbacks. But with young quarterbacks determination are usually increasing pains. It took Newton 3 years to person a winning play aft Carolina selected him No. 1 wide successful 2011. Buffalo’s Josh Allen was 5-6 successful his archetypal play (2018) earlier making the Bills a perennial playoff contender successful his 2nd season.

Then determination are those similar Carolina’s Mayfield and Darnold -- the archetypal and 3rd wide picks, respectively -- of the 2018 draft. Mayfield has lone 1 winning season, 11-5 successful 2020, and Darnold has none.

So to driblet a rookie into the premix apt wouldn’t beryllium a speedy fix, either.