Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers: Can they reclaim the NFC South in 2017?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:36 p.m. ET

Fansided, Raphael Garcia/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Coming off of a letdown last year and then an steady offseason, can the Carolina Panthers get back atop the NFC South?

Leading up through the first wave of OTAs, the Carolina Panthers have put together a "solid" offseason. Before the draft the team made moves to secure veterans in Kawann Short, Charles Johnson, Jonathan Stewart, Mario Addison and others. At the draft, the team brought in impact players like Curtis Samuel and Christian McCaffrey. Now, as the roster starts to come together, the question becomes if they can get back atop the NFC South.

The Panthers ended 2016 with a 6-10 record and sat firmly in last place within the division. This comes after three-straight seasons of winning the NFC South. After falling from first to last, the team is looking for ways to gain ground on their rivals.

However, experts do not see things the same way. ESPN polled the four writers that cover the NFC South and asked them which team did the most out of the draft to impact their organization. The resounding response pointed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the team who made the best moves so far.

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These writers point toward the additions that the Bucs selected that can immediately jump into the starting lineups, a key benefit of selecting so many skilled rookies. Carolina may not have earned such acclaim, but the team did do a good job in filling needs on the roster. But is it is enough to keep up with the rest of the NFC South?

The Panthers allowed 25.1 points a game in 2016, a far cry from the defensive powerhouse the unit had been in past seasons. At the same time, the offense only brought in 23 points per outing, showing an inability to move the ball the way they did in the 2015 campaign. They certainly did their part to combat these woes this offseason.

McCaffrey and Samuel add speed to an offense that has loss that with the departure of Ted Ginn Jr. Unfortunately, Ginn went to another team in the NFC South, but these two players should be able help solve that problem.

It will be interesting to see how the Panthers pair them in this offense alongside the size and experience that Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess and Greg Olsen bring to the field. Both of these players give Cam Newton some additional weapons to an offense that is heading for a period of transition. Ginn is gone and Jonathan Stewart may be on his way out. So, it's time for all of these players to show that they are ready to take the reins of leadership.

The NFC South is going to be a division to watch in 2017. All four teams made moves to improve from last year. The Panthers hope that their moves were enough to get them back to a position of dominance in the South.