USAT: Panthers Wire audio clip

USAT: Panthers Wire

Feb 26, 2022

Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule has dug himself quite a hole. Two straight five-win seasons, along with two straight massive misses at the quarterback position, have his job in jeopardy and his team in purgatory. - So between that mess and the limited amount of resources available to help get them out of it, the Panthers are entering a critical spring with one of the bleakest outlooks in the league. It’s so bleak, in fact, that Carolina is just about on the basement level of Touchdown Wire’s latest power rankings. - In their “way-too-early” offseason shuffling, our friends positioned the Panthers into the 29th slot—ahead of only the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. - “Sam Darnold was not the answer but the Panthers are tied to him going forward,” Nick Wojton writes. “He didn’t have much help from his offensive line, but can Carolina trust Darnold to improve in 2022? They probably should not, but what else can they do? How about staying healthy? Lots of question marks keep the Panthers low in this poll.” - They’ve certainly earned that spot amongst such esteemed company due to those many mysteries. - First off, there’s no sure answer as to how they’ll fix their quarterback conundrum. Rhule and general manager Scott Fitterer will have to take a risk in a mediocre trade market, take an even bigger gamble in the draft (perhaps with the sixth overall pick) or ultimately try one more time with Darnold. - Then, if they even track down a passer worth keeping, how will they keep said passer safe behind the shambles they’ve rostered at offensive line? Save for Taylor Moton at right tackle and Brady Christensen at . . . somewhere . . . Carolina has massive holes along their front and almost no worthwhile depth to speak of. - Mix that all in with the feeling that Rhule may be a lame duck, and you have a dangerous recipe that’s better left at the bottom of the NFL’s barrel. - - RelatedDavid Tepper's silence may have hurt Panthers' search for QB, coachesWould Panthers still try trade for Deshaun Watson without legal settlement? - - List - - 4 quarterbacks the Panthers should consider in free agency - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Panthers Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Panthers Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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