Panthers quietly have built an explosive offense for 2020

The Carolina Panthers aren’t going to stop many teams in 2020, but they are going to score.

At least that’s the plan for rookie head coach Matt Rhule. The front office was smart this offseason, spending resources in free agency on offense with the additions of Teddy Bridgewater and wide receiver Robby Anderson. With those moves, alongside the trade of guard Trai Turner for left tackle Russell Okung, Rhule was given the opportunity to begin building the way he wants.

Landing a quality quarterback, left tackle and deep threat isn’t a bad start.

While the Panthers aren’t going to be the Greatest Show on Turf, they should be exciting to watch. Carolina has the best running back in football — who doubles as a receiver — in Christian McCaffrey. On the outside, Bridgewater has D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel and Anderson to target. While tight end is a weakness with Greg Olsen now in Seattle, Rhule has more than enough options to make defending his squad a challenge.

Rhule talked about how he sees his receiving corps this week, per NFL.com:

“I think one of the great things that’s one of the strengths of our team is that Robby Anderson’s a deep-play threat. Curtis Samuel is a deep-play threat. DJ Moore is a deep-play threat. So we feel like we have the power to be able to take advantage of throwing the ball downfield, and we know Teddy can do that.”

Looking at their numbers last year, it’s easy to understand Rhule’s optimism. Bridgewater started five games for the New Orleans Saints and won them all, throwing for 1,384 yards with nine touchdowns against two interceptions. With the New York Jets, Anderson notched 52 receptions for 779 yards and five touchdowns despite playing with no other weapons and a litany of backup quarterbacks.

Meanwhile, Moore quietly became a star in his second season for the Panthers, totaling 87 catches and 1,175 yards with four scores. Samuel did his part as well, with 627 yards and six touchdowns.

Then there’s McCaffrey, who posted the third-highest total of yards from scrimmage in NFL history with 2,392. On the ground, the Stanford product rushed for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry. In the air, McCaffrey went for 1,005 yards on 116 receptions, adding four more scores.

While the defense is incredibly young after using the entire draft class on defenders following the loss of future Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly, the offense should keep Carolina in plenty of games.