grimesgoat

Cam will start and play the first series. PJ will come in and play 2nd and 3rd series. Then it will be situational.

No way I give up picks, unless its a 6 or 7. I might consider giving a 7th and paying half his salary. Otherwise, he's my backup.

I think they dumped bridgwater because they didn't want Sam to feel the extra pressure. That's all out the window if he's the backup. Sure it will cost a lot, but why cut him then have to find someone else for a few mil. Might as well keep him as backup to someone (hopefully Cam), then draft the heir apparent in the 2022 draft to learn under the starter (again, hopefully Cam).

I don't think they are too concerned with cap space to target free agents. I think they prefer to build through the draft. Therefore this is what I think will happen. Gilmore, Reddick should be re-signed (10m each?) Haynes, Carter, and Burris will return if cheap (2-3m). DJax and Jones will exit. Djax should net us a future 3rd. Our defense should remain strong with or without Djax if Horn returns and we keep Gilmore and Reddick. If Cam holds up and plays well, he will be offered an extension. Darnold will stick around as a backup. No need to give up draft capital just to gain a few million in cap. If Christensen looks decent, our OL suddenly looks ok on paper. Moton-Brown-Elflein-MJ-Christensen looks decent with Erving as the utility lineman. RBs, WRs, and hopefully QB look good on paper. Obvious weaknesses include TE and OL. Our first rounder could be in the 20's meaning if we keep the pick, we can really beef up one or the other. Is this the year we draft our pass-catching TE or play it safe with the best G in the draft? Even better if we can convert the 1st to a 2 and 3 and address both spots. In addition to our first rounder, we have a 4, 5, 5, 6, 7. Prime areas for Guards, LBs, and ST depth. I really like the way they are building this team for the future.

No, he's right. For example, what if we trade Darnold next year for a 6th and agree to pay half his salary. That's 9m we will not pay for him. Not likely to happen at this point, but then again we got a 6th for TB.

Exactly. he looked great for 3 weeks. I just don't see long-term starter there. he'll be a decent backup that can come in for 2-3 game stretches - but he is not a franchise QB. I think we can all agree on that now. He'll be grossly overpaid next year, but after that, he could be worth having around in a pinch for a game or three for a low price.

This is a really good post. Many fans were ready to fire him and complained about his lack of experience. The argument was that coaches never do well coming out of college. But he was given a 7-year contract for a reason. Tepper and Rhule knew there would be some hiccups. Building a solid long-term winning program was never going to take a year or two. He was starting with very little and was severely handicapped by his shitty GM. I for one have no issues with anything they have done. Bridgewater made a ton of sense when they signed him. He wasn't brought in to win a superbowl in year 1, he was a professional that could make the offense competitive while he built his defense. He wasn't what they expected so they swallowed their pride and looked for an upgrade. They looked everywhere but eventually had to settle for Darnold who until week 4, looked like a complete steal. He's just too inconsistent and not mentally fit to be a starting QB (I think he'll have a long career as a backup). Signing Reddick, drafting Horn, Snagging CJ Henderson and Gilmore, re-signing Moton, picking up Jones and Fox - all brilliant. I also loved the Elflein signing because I knew he would eventually replace Paradis at a reasonable salary. Happened a little sooner than expected but here we are. Likewise I think Erving was signed as a utility OL until their LT draft pick was ready. That plan is coming along slower than they anticipated and not surprisingly, Erving is already hurt - which sometimes happens in pro football. The only head-scratcher to me was signing Robbie Anderson long-term, but he looked much better this week. But saving salary cap and snagging a fresh Cam might be the best move of them all. Cam can be a bridge while we find our next guy. If Cam is not overworked with 40 passes a game, he should last 1.5-2.5 years, which allows us to snag an LT next year and a QB the year after. We are on our way boys. Enjoy.

There is not enough pie in the world for you.

Players want as much money they can get and to win a championship. That's it. If the panthers offer that opportunity, they will come here.

good god, when he said “They’re a team we want to be", I doubt he was talking about having a reputation for cheating. My guess is, and I'm just spit-balling here, is that he meant he wanted to be a tough, defensive minded team that was a threat to win it all each year. And I'm ok with that. Or he was just buttering up the opposition, as every coach does. No need to give them bulletin board material unnecessarily. But I could be wrong. Perhaps he desires to be an surly douchebag that will cheat to win at any cost. He just doesn't come across that way so far.

I realize you've given up on Rhule, but most of what you listed has nothing to do with him. CMC and Shaq being out, Darnold concussed, WRs dropping balls, Punter getting hurt, Kicker suddenly sucking. He's been here less than 2 years. When he got here, we had one of the most inept GMs in football and the team had completely quit. He had to figure out which guys were worth keeping and which ones needed to go in order to change the culture. He's completely overturned the roster in two offseasons. We have something like 12 guys left from the Rivera era. He's also had to deal with crippling dead cap - $54m in 2020 and $49m this year. If you go back and look at our 2019 roster, every position group was an area of need. LB was ok, until Luke decided to retire. So he's addressed the DL (Jones, Brown, YGM, Fox), LB (Reddick, Luvu), Secondary (Gilmore, Horn, Chinn, Burris, Bouye, Henderson), WR (Robbie, Marshall), TE (Arnold, Tremble). He's added some talent to the RB room and tried to address QB with mixed results. The only group he hasn't been able to address so far is the OL. I don't think for a minute he or fitterer thought they were in good shape there. They just didn't have the resources to address this with everything else. That's why they said they were looking at a 5-year rebuild as opposed to a 1-year or 2-year rebuild. I suspect the OL will be the top priority in 2022. Then maybe QB in 2023 if we don't snag watson in the off-season.

I agree. I think this is why they moved him when they drafted Daniel Jones. Gettleman got a lot of poo for that trade, but now it looks like he won it.

I think you are exactly right.

I think a lot of those mis-timed plays have to do with the pocket collapsing so quickly. The ball is getting there sooner or off-target because Darnold is getting blown up so quickly. Fix the OL and these WRs will suddenly know how to catch again. Unfortunately, we will not be able to fix this OL until the next offseason or two.

I think all of the rookies are keepers. Most, if not all, will play meaningful minutes next year. Christensen, Marshall, and Tremble will all start. Hubbard and Smith will play key backup roles. Jury is still out on Brown. The mistake was believing a bunch of draft picks were going to come in and make a difference right away. When has that ever happened to any team ever? But with the Panthers being so mediocre this year, these guys should get some valuable on-field time/experience. Next year we'll see what they can really do. I can be patient.

What talent level are you referring to? We have an elite RB that has missed over half the season, a sub-par OL, a reclamation QB, a rookie TE, and two above average receivers that have forgotten how to catch. Get CMC back and upgrade a couple of spots on the OL and I think things begin to look rosier. Until then, we are a ground and pound team trying to win close defensive battles. I say get on board.

Paradis is 8.2. I believe the void years are to spread the dead money over multiple years. We must account for 12.2, but only 5.1 in 2022. Then another 5.1 in 2023. Then 1.0 in each of 2024 and 2025.

I believe its only 5m in 2022 for Paradis/Reddick. The Darnold situation is tougher. I think he will be here in a lame-duck fashion. Panthers don't save anything for cutting him, and I don't believe anyone will come calling. If they can dump him without giving up more than a 6th or 7th, it would definitely be worth it. But you still gotta find a QB at some point. I'd keep him around and see what he can do with a better OL. Erving and Elflein are not breaking the bank and will be useful depth. Add a 2nd round C or G, and get Christiansen and Brown up to speed and those two might be serviceable. I'd rather those guys be our depth or spot starters than Miller, Daley, or Scott.

I appreciated the optimism and I believe they are on schedule for the rebuild. They got a little ahead of themselves out of the gate, but if you look at the roster and who is signed for 2022, there is room for optimism. I don't think we will be very active in Free Agency. They will use most of their 44m is cap to sign their own guys - Gilmore, Luvu, Burris, maybe Reddick and Jones. Jackson and Carter will probably walk and we'll pick up some comp picks. Almost everyone that's decent on offense is signed through 2022. DJ will be extended and Paradis will be gone. I believe that's why Erving and Elflein were given longer contracts - they knew this would take more than 2 drafts to fix. They will try to turn their 1 and 6 into 2 and 3 and use them on a C and LB. Look for an OG in the 4th, a some combination of DT, T, TE, RB, K over the rest of the draft. This would complete the roster turnover into Rhule's vision. QB is still an issue, but we really don't know how good or bad darnold is with this crappy OL and without CMC. We may look to upgrade QB in free agency, but I think they will just bring in some grizzled vet like Flacco or Foles for competition. The goal being to make a wildcard. I think 2023 will be when the seat for Rhule and company may begin to heat. 7 wins in 2021. 10 wins in 2022. 11+ wins in 2023 and beyond.

Wonder if Carolina could flip Jackson instead of Gilmore for some OL help.

When your first 3 words are "hear me out", you might consider not saying it. Came in for the pile of poo. Was not disappointed.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but it reminds me of when Benjamin went down and Cam had to adapt and spread the ball around.