Panthers mailbag: Are there winnable games left in 2023? Too many voices on offense?

It’s hard to feel thankful for the Panthers’ on-field product this season.

After a 1-9 start, the Carolina faithful is likely thrilled to not have another prime-time matchup on the 2023 regular-season slate. But the dedicated fan base is also looking toward the future following another failed season, and thus, there are questions about what’s to come for the franchise.

That’s why The Observer has the Panthers mailbag to answer those inquiries.

Here are three standout questions from social media:

Can Panthers add a win (or two ... or three) in 2023?

Ed asks: Looking at the remaining schedule, what games, in your estimation, are winnable for the Panthers?

Mike Kaye: Let’s take a look at the final seven games on the Panthers’ slate:

Week 12: @ Tennessee Titans (3-7)

Week 13: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)

Week 14: @ New Orleans Saints (5-5)

Week 15: vs. Atlanta Falcons (4-6)

Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers (4-6)

Week 17: @ Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3)

Week 18: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)

One could argue that every matchup outside of the road trip to Jacksonville is “winnable” on the surface. In fact, if the staff wanted to cling to some sort of hope, they could look at the reality of the NFC South, which is essentially the fodder division within the conference.

The Panthers have four remaining NFC South matchups and all of them should present attainable success for Carolina, even as the offense dwells in the muck. The Titans and Packers — despite an impressive win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week — are also mediocre at the right time for the Panthers.

No team left on the slate is an offensive juggernaut. While the Jaguars average 23 points per game, the next most efficient scoring squad, the Saints, average 21.4 points per game.

The Panthers have struggled to cross the 20-point mark since returning from the Week 7 bye, but if Frank Reich’s second turn with the headset can eventually spark some proficiency, the Panthers should be in every game throughout the rest of the campaign.

Despite their 10-point showing against the Dallas Cowboys, I actually have the Panthers (spoiler alert!!!) sneaking a win past the Titans this weekend. Tennessee rookie quarterback Will Levis has been an all-or-nothing passer this season, and I see promise in defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s unit. The initial over/under for this game was 37 points.

I think if the Panthers can keep Tennessee under 17 points — the Titans average 16.8 points per game — they’ll win this one.

I have looked at the Packers game as a win potential for weeks. I’m not particularly impressed with Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love or his inconsistent weapons, outside of second-year wideout Romeo Doubs. The Panthers also always play their division rivals closely, so I could see them splitting the four remaining matchups with their lowly division antagonists.

As bleak as this season has been, a five-win season is still possible, though improbable. Ahead of the bye week, I had the Panthers finishing 5-12. I think 4-13 is probably more realistic at this point. If they want to avoid handing the Chicago Bears the No. 1 pick, they’ll need to win three or four games down the stretch.

Too many voices in the Panthers’ offense?

Patrick asks: Do you think it is a “too many cooks in the kitchen” deal on the offense? Did Reich put together this staff — or did David Tepper and Scott Fitterer and others put it together for him?

I think it’s abundantly clear that the “diversity of thought” model has been more of a hindrance than a help at this point in the Panthers’ season.

New ideas are always important, but it feels like the Panthers have no offensive identity because the playbook is basically a game of charades where no one can tell what the person with the card is trying to portray, despite their best efforts.

In theory, marrying Reich’s system with Sean McVay-like wrinkles was a cool pitch. In reality, it’s been an utter disaster.

I do think the Panthers have too many offensive coaches with input at this point. I’m also still not exactly sure what senior assistant Jim Caldwell’s role is within the offense after asking Reich about it last week.

Here’s what he said:

“Jim has been a tremendous, tremendous asset to me, personally, to be able to talk through every situation with him. He’s, in a lot of ways, helping me oversee everything. Sometimes he’s in defensive meetings, sometimes he’s in offensive meetings. And his years of experience, in helping me gauge what are the next steps that we need to take — just talking stuff through with him — personnel stuff, coaching stuff, everything — philosophical offense, defense — he’s obviously a very wise coach and so I pick his brain a lot.”

Reich is not only managing a busy roster but he’s also taking in a plethora of ideas from several assistants.

Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, pass game coordinator Parks Frazier and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown all offer interesting perspectives, but Caldwell, offensive line coach James Campen and running backs/assistant head coach Duce Staley are also heavily involved.

I do think that a collective of that size could lead to a lot of back and forth commentary and when that’s later sent out into the ether of the locker room, it can be confusing or overcomplicated.

The only folks who truly know if its overkill are the people in the offensive meetings, but from the outside, it feels like the diversity of thought has led to more restriction than relief for rookie quarterback Bryce Young and the offense.

Regarding the construction of the staff, Reich handled a large portion of it. As you can see when you look at the group, many of the staff members worked with Reich in the past. But as it is with most new regimes, the front office will typically make suggestions and offers up potential candidates.

My read on the staff is that it was a collaborative effort to an extent. Remember, the majority of the defensive staff and Brown were new to Reich, and there was an extensive hiring process, so it’s logical to have front office input on that. The retention of Campen and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, for instance, was likely the result of an internal leadership pitch. That collaboration is actually quite common in my experience covering other teams.

Turnstile on roster?

Brad asks: Are there players you would move (away from) or a move you would like to see in (the offseason)?

Outside of Adam Thielen and Vonn Bell, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the front office — whether it’s still powered by GM Scott Fitterer or not — move on from the majority of this year’s free agency class.

Sure, dropping the likes of Miles Sanders and Hayden Hurst would lead to significant dead-cap penalties, but the reality is that those high-priced players aren’t making enough of a difference to stick around and delay the progress of younger contributors. I think there will be some tough decisions made on the roster, but if the Panthers could get trade returns for either Sanders or Hurst, they shouldn’t have to think about declining.

Chuba Hubbard and Tommy Tremble have both outplayed Sanders and Hurst and cost a fraction of their salaries. Both Hubbard and Tremble are also entering the final years of their rookie deals in 2024, so it’d make sense to give them plenty of opportunities to prove they deserve to stick around long term.

As far as a free-agent additions go, it’s hard to predict how the pre-free agency period will shake out. The team needs upgrades at left guard and center, despite how much the team is paying Bradley Bozeman. The squad also needs significant help at pass rusher, cornerback, and defensive tackle.

But most importantly, wide receiver is a massive area of need. The Panthers are projected to have $57 million in salary cap space next year, according to Over The Cap, and they’ll need to use almost all of it to surround Young with viable talent on offense.