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Carolina Panthers: Final Game an Early Chance to Evaluate
The Carolina Panthers aren’t vying for a playoff position but they are playing with a chance to evaluate key players on the roster.
With one game left in the 2016 season, the Carolina Panthers have an opportunity to begin their evaluations for next season. Carolina is in a truly tough position after surging to a 15-1 record in 2015 and dropping all the way down to 6-9 with one game remaining.
In order to rebound the Panthers have a lot of work in front of them. With a strapped salary and options in the draft, it will be difficult for them to claw out of this hole. Still, the Panthers should sit key players on the roster to use this game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for planning in the future.
The rebuilding efforts are already underway for the Charlotte-based organization. There are a variety of needs that must be addressed on multiple fronts for the Panthers. From the shaky offensive line to the struggling defensive secondary, Panthers General Manager Dave Gettleman has to find a way to rebuild this group.
Thankfully, he has nearly $62 million in cap space to work with and that amount can increase before the off season is over. With key players such as Charles Johnson, Kawann Short and Mario Addison set to be unrestricted free agents, it will be interesting to see what moves the Panthers will make.
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However, before checks are drafted, the Panthers have a number of options to review on their current roster. With one game remaining, it is important to use this time for some live-action reps for the players that need it the most. Players such as Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Jonathan Stewart and others shouldn’t spend a lot of time on the field.
As of Wednesday the following players were listed as either “did not participate” or “limited participation” in practice: Derek Anderson, Devin Funchess, Greg Olsen, Johnson, Stewart, Addison and Newton. None of those players should see the field at any point during this game that doesn’t count for much beyond bragging rights.
With both Anderson and Newton down, Joe Webb is already expected to get time under center, and Cameron Artis-Payne should get plenty of reps as the main running back. Both of these men need this opportunity to show their value not only to the Panthers, but potential other suitors throughout the league.
The same can be said about the wide receiver position as Carolina has a lot of depth within their receiving core. This was one of the main position battles heading into this year and with so many players in that group it should also be a contest leading into the 2017 season.
There’s never a such thing as a meaningless game, but with all hopes of a 2016 playoff run smashed, the Carolina Panthers are in a close situation come Sunday. This is a valuable opportunity to give some players time on the field to evaluate where they stand in the future of their careers and the needs of this organization. There’s a lot of change that’s needed throughout this team. Their Week 17 game is a chance to get those gears moving forward.
