More Offensive Fire Power as the Panthers Pick Up Steam
The past two weeks have been good to the Panthers. Coming off back-to-back wins. Coming into Week Seven, the Panthers head to New York to take on the winless Jets. A win in Week Seven puts the Panthers on a three-game winning streak, a massive turnaround from what was a terrible start to the season. At a key moment, a few key starters are returning to the field.
Chuba Hubbard has missed the past two weeks with a calf injury. In his stead, Rico Dowdle has exploded. In his two starts, Dowdle rushed for 206 yards in Week Five and 189 yards in Week Six. Dowdle’s performance has put the Panthers in a weird position concerning the running back position. Hubbard has been the solidified starter since Week One, coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season and an extension in the offseason. Hubbard is having a good season himself, with 217 rushing yards through a rough four-week start. I believe that a 1A, 1B situation is the best way to move forward. Head coach Dave Canales has been tight-lipped on the starter, refusing to commit to one. It will be an interesting situation moving forward, but also a good problem to have. Most notably, the Lions have a successful running back duo. It is worth noting that the Cowboys and Dolphins are two of the worst defenses in the league, ranking first and third, respectively, in yards given up per game.
2024 undrafted free agent Jalen Coker is set to make his season debut after an injury in the preseason that sidelined him for the first six weeks. Coker played his way into a permanent roster spot in his rookie season. Coker played primarily in the slot, lining up in the slot 242 times out of his 461 snaps. Coker was solid for most of his starts before having a breakout game in Week 15 against the Cowboys. In the best game of his career so far, Coker had four receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown. Coker comes in at a weird time, when the receiving room is slowly becoming crowded. Tetairoa McMillian stands at the top of the depth chart, firmly cemented as the top receiver target. Xavier Legette has made his role as the wide receiver two, but has been struggling this season. Legette has failed to record over 50 yards yet this season and has only eight receptions. Hunter Renfrow pulls up the rear as the third-best receiver. Renfrow has been solid and played his role well, but leaves more to be desired. Renfrow still has burst and great route running, but you can tell he has lost a step. Brycen Tremayne has played a solid role in the absence of Coker and Legette, but will likely see his snaps reduced with Coker coming back. Finally, seventh-round draft pick Jimmy Horn has started to integrate into the offense. After being a healthy scratch for the first four games of the season, Horn made his debut in Week Five. Through two weeks, Horn has caught all four of his targets for 57 receiving yards. Horn has also had a few carries, showing us that Canales has a plan for Horn as a gadget guy. With the departure of Adam Thielen, the slot position has been wide open. Legette has played there but to little effect. Coker has the opportunity to cement himself as the wide receiver two and potentially open up the offense widely.
Austin Corbett makes his return after a stint on IR. Corbett will not return as the starter and will back up Cade Mays. After Corbett went down, Mays took over as the starter and has solidified himself in the role. Corbett will have the opportunity to play elsewhere on the line, with multiple injuries adding up. Primarily, Robert Hunt and Chandler Zavala. Corbett’s return will play a key role in adding depth to a shrinking offensive line.
Ja’Tavion Sanders is also back after three weeks out with an ankle injury. Sanders should return to his role as the starter. While out, Tommy Tremble and rookie Mitchell Evans have split reps, each adding to the offense. There is less of a debate here but a welcome return to the offense. Sanders has been a safety blanket for quarterback Bryce Young. Sander has 11 receptions on 14 targets with 92 receiving yards. Sanders has yet to record a touchdown, but in his absence, both Tremble and Evans have recorded touchdowns.
The Panthers' offense is finally starting to click. The return of these starters should add some much-needed firepower back to the offense. The Panthers have played two of the league's worst teams over the past two weeks and will now face arguably the worst team in the league, or at least the only winless team so far. Another confidence booster will be huge heading into Week Eight and Week Nine as they take on the Bills and Packers, respectively.
