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Carolina Panthers: 5 offseason needs

By John Buhler

Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn (19) returns a kickoff in the second quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn (19) returns a kickoff in the second quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) hands off to running back Jonathan Stewart (28) in the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) hands off to running back Jonathan Stewart (28) in the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

1. A durable bell-cow running back

If defensive line is the bedrock for Panthers football, the running game is where they make their money. With Newton at quarterback, the Panthers have been a dominant running team. It helps that he has a great pair of legs to work with, but Carolina fell stagnant in the ground game last year.

The results weren’t pretty. Like an intricate machine, once the Panthers couldn’t run the football with conviction, it exposed Newton as a sub-par passer. He has a howitzer for a right arm, but who knows where the ball is going half the time.

Attrition to the offensive line and the injury-riddled nature of starting running back Jonathan Stewart combined to limit Carolina’s overall effectiveness as an offense. In short, Newton couldn’t do enough as a passer to win close games for the Panthers in 2016.

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What Carolina needs to do is with either their first or second-round pick is to draft a bell-cow back out of college. Though a little bit of a reach, could Carolina go with Dalvin Cook or Leonard Fournette at No. 8? If that’s too high, trade back and get another pick. There is a lot of running back talent in this draft. Get Newton another tailback to keep pounding in the Queen City.

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