NFL power rankings: Training camp edition
By Brad Weiss
Carolina Panthers
, NFC South
One year removed from representing the NFC in the Super Bowl, the Panthers struggled mightily in 2016, failing to make the playoffs. In fact, the team played so poorly, that they finished at the bottom of the NFC South, a division they dominated the year before. Quarterback Cam Newton took way too many hits, and with the division loaded once again in 2017, they are going to have to find a way to protect him.
After a 6-10 finish in 2016, the Panthers may come as a shock ranked this high, but they did have a solid offseason. Lacking playmakers on offense, and losing Ted Ginn Jr. to free agency, the team went out and drafted one of the better collegiate running backs we have seen in a long time. Christian McCaffrey is a very dangerous player, possessing the ability to change a game on the ground, and through the air.
In addition to McCaffrey, the team also drafted Curtis Samuel, an incredibly versatile player from Ohio State. Samuel can play wide receiver, or some running back, giving the Panthers two good, young players to add to their arsenal of weapons. Newton will no longer have to do everything on his own, and with a healthy season under his belt, Kelvin Benjamin should return to the form he showed in 2015.
Arguably their biggest splash of the offseason came when they brought back defensive end, Julius Peppers. Peppers is a legend in Carolina, and only adds to an already stout defensive front for the Panthers. With a healthy Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis in the middle of the defense, this Panthers team could flip their record from a year ago, and I expect them to do just that.