PFF: Panthers don’t have enough ‘firepower’ to make playoffs in 2023

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The Carolina Panthers have certainly retooled their receiving corp this offseason. But does that mean they finally have a good one?

Not necessarily.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus recently dished out 16 reasons why each NFC team will or won’t make the playoffs this upcoming season. When it comes to the Panthers, he believes their lack of firepower could hold them out of contention.

Sikkema writes:

Though the Panthers losing star receiver D.J. Moore in their trade-up to No. 1 overall was a tough pill to swallow, it was necessary to get the quarterback they can have the most confidence in moving forward in Bryce Young. But, that does mean they need another year and another offseason with this new coaching staff to get the rest of the offense where it needs to be to light up the scoreboard. The defense, while young, is close to playoff ready, if not there already with a fully healthy group. But the receiver group has a lot to prove and might be one of the last few groups holding the team back.

After shipping out Moore, the Panthers signed three notable additions to the group in wideouts Adam Thielen and DJ Chark and tight end Hayden Hurst. Questions, however, do exist for each—as Thielen will be 33 before the season starts while both Chark and Hurst, neither of whom have lit the football world on fire of late, are recovering from offseason surgeries.

Carolina also used their second-round pick, the one that remained following the trade for the No. 1 selection, on a receiver—Ole Miss standout Jonathan Mingo. But, obviously, it’s difficult to bank on a rookie pass catcher at this point.

So, hopefully for the Panthers, Young is the point guard who makes everyone around him better. After all, that’s what they traded up for, right?

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