The Carolina Panthers' offseason focus centered on buffering the situation surrounding quarterback Bryce Young, improving the receiver corps and offensive line, and drafting running back Jonathon Brooks. On paper, the problem is much improved.
Joining The Season with Peter Schrager podcast last week, coach Dave Canales pointed to the importance of the running game to improve the overall dynamic of the offense in 2024.
"It all starts with the run game and having (guards) Robert (Hunt) and Damien (Lewis) in there because I love our backfield," Canales said. "Adding Jonathan (Brooks), an opportunity came to us with a really talented guy. And again, depth, talent, just keep adding key pieces. Challenge your roster. That's what this draft and this offseason was all about. I feel confident that we'll be able to have a successful run game, which, for me, opens everything else up."
Last season in Tampa Bay, Canales showed a propensity to stick with the run even when it wasn't all that effective. The Buccaneers rushed 439 times in the regular season, the 10th-fewest in the NFL despite averaging a league-low 3.4 yards per carry. Tampa also leaned heavily on one back, Rachaad White, who carried the rock 272 times, tied for second-most in the NFL last season. No other Bucs back reached the 50-carry mark.
The drafting of Brooks in the second round provides Canales with an interesting mix out of the backfield. The rookie, Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, Raheem Blackshear, Rashaad Penny, Mike Boone and others are expected to battle for snaps during training camp.
An improved run game would help Young take a step forward following last season's struggles. Canales reiterated that the hope is to ask the quarterback to simply play his part rather than be Superman every snap.
"I'm just excited about the talent," Canales said of Young. "It's everything that we saw from over a year ago when we were doing the draft evaluation. It's all there. It's all still there. So it's like, wait, the guy's athletic. He can get the ball out quickly. He's a leader. He communicates well. Like, oh, he's got everything we need. OK, Bryce, just do your part, do your 1/11th, do your quarterback part, you're the point guard, and then, we'll everybody else do all there's, and we can dissolve the pressure of 'you've got lead, you've got to do this' and all that. 'You're the one.' No, that's just not true. I have not seen that model of football work and win. In Seattle, we didn't put it all on (Russell Wilson's) plate. So that's not the model we're going to try to create in Carolina."
Canales knows that turning around a two-win club is no easy task but sees building blocks in place to make strides in his first season in command.
"I see a great combination of some experience, high football character, some talent in spots," he said of his roster. "Now, there's a reason that we were 2-15, and we have to continue to bring more talent into our roster so you fill out the depth of it. The great teams that I've been on in Seattle over the years, up and down, the great ones, you had depth. I think that's really where we are: Can we establish our starters? Can we develop depth? We've got a ways to go."
