Carolina Panthers Depth Chart
- NFC South
- Stadium
- Bank of America Stadium
- Head Coach
- Matt Rhule
- Offensive Coordinator
- Ben McAdoo
- Defensive Coordinator
- Phil Snow
- Special Teams Coach
- Chase Blackburn
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
The Carolina Panthers are expected to hire former New York Giants head coach and ex-Packers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo as their next offensive coordinator, according to sources. McAdoo will be replacing Joe Brady, who was fired with five games remaining in the 2021 season. Senior offensive assistant Jeff Nixon took over the offensive coordinator duties to close out the season. McAdoo will inherit an offense with quarterback questions surrounding Sam Darnold and an All-Pro running back in Christian McCaffrey, who hasn't been able to stay healthy the last two years. The Panthers offense ranked third-worst in yards per game (298.9), fourth-worst in passing yards per game (190.5) and fourth-worst in points per game (17.9) during the 2021 season.
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said that wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr.'s (foot) injury is a short-term deal, and he's expected to be ready for organized team activities in the spring. Marshall landed on Injured Reserve and was unable to play in the Week 18 regular season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his first season in the NFL, the 21-year-old caught 17 of 30 targets for 138 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games played. The second-round pick out of LSU will look to take on a bigger role in the passing game in his second season along with fellow rookie Shi Smith. But with quarterback Sam Darnold returning and the Panthers searching for a new offensive coordinator, Marshall will mainly be a dynasty/keeper stash heading into the 2022 campaign.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who will be a free agent this offseason, said he thinks he can still play in the NFL and is open to going to a contending team as a backup QB. Newton and the Panthers reunited in 2021 with Sam Darnold (shoulder) missing six weeks due to injury, but the 32-year-old former MVP showed why he was on the street to begin with at midseason. Newton can still do some damage with his legs on the ground when needed, but he wasn't able to do much through the air, going 69-for-126 (54.8%) for 684 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games (five starts). Newton had a mediocre 64.4 QB rating and was averaging just 5.4 yards per attempt and a career-low 9.9 yards per completion in his return. It's clear that he's more of a backup at this point in his career, and he's unlikely to return to Carolina with the Panthers already re-signing P.J. Walker.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold will be back with the team in 2022. "Sam (Darnold) will be back. When we protect him, he looks like a good NFL quarterback," general manager Scott Fitterer said. Carolina traded three draft picks to the New York Jets for Darnold last April. Darnold looked good in the first three games of the season against weak opponents, but he struggled after that and fractured his scapula in Week 9, causing him to miss six weeks. The 24-year-old had a 71.9 QB rating, which was the second-worst among qualified passers in the NFL. Darnold will be guaranteed $18.9 million on his 2022 option. With better weapons around him and a healthy Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, Darnold could bounce back as Carolina's starter under center, but he'll enter the season as a low-end QB2 for fantasy purposes.
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said he has been pleased with young running backs Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah, but he "fully expects" Christian McCaffrey to be back with the Panthers next season when asked directly if the team would consider trading CMC. The 25-year-old star RB has played in only 10 games in the last two seasons due to injuries and has 158 carries for 667 yards and six touchdowns while catching 54 of his 60 targets for 492 yards and two more touchdowns. Fantasy managers most likely won't be comfortable taking McCaffrey as a top-three fantasy RB early in the first round of drafts this fall after all of his injury issues the past two seasons. Depending on how far he falls, CMC could be a decent bargain in 2022 if he can stay on the field.