4 Panthers players with the most to prove the last 4 games of 2020
The Carolina Panthers are finally on their bye week. At 4-8, they’re out of the playoff picture and have to start thinking about next season. Certain individuals will be under a lot of pressure during this last month to show improvement and secure their future with the franchise. We could see some major roster changes this offseason depending on how things go in December.
Here are the four Carolina players who have the most to prove over the last four games of the 2020 season.
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Slye has as much range as any kicker in the NFL. We've seen proof of that this season when he just barely missed what would have been a record-setting 65-yard field goal attempt against the Saints. However, Slye has struggled with consistency since entering the league. Through 12 games, Slye has connected on 77.4% of his field goal attempts, slightly lower than the 78.1% he posted his rookie season. He's been accurate from 49 or less, but the long kicks have given him trouble. Slye is just 1/6 from 50 or more yards. His struggles are particularly tough to swallow given what Graham Gano has done this year with the Giants, making 25 of 26 kicks total (96.2%) and four of five from 50+. Slye still has potential, though and kickers are nothing if not notoriously streaky. Making a few difficult kicks in a row may be all he needs to break through. Slye could still be this team's long-term placekicker, but down the stretch he needs to show improvement from deep and get that field goal percentage above 80% at least.
FS Tre Boston
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After playing at a high level on a series of one-year deals, Tre Boston finally cashed in last offseason with a three-year, $18 million contract with the Panthers. Boston has been unable to repeat the success he had in 2019, though. So far, he's allowed two touchdowns and a passer rating of 100.1 when targeted, up 25 points from last year. To be fair, results on defense can vary a great deal from week to week and year to year. For example, the Patriots went from being first in defensive DVOA last season to No. 32 this year. That wild variance is especially true of secondary play, which is probably the most challenging part of the modern game. Boston should bounce back and is still an important veteran presence for this young defense. However, a lot of starting defenders are only one bad year away from getting cut. Just ask Eric Reid, who performed better in 2019 than Boston has this year and was released despite a $5 million dead money hit. Given their lack of depth behind him, it seems unlikely they'll waive Boston as well. He needs to get the needle going in the other direction, though.
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Jackson's situation is a classic illustration of just how unfair the brutal business of the NFL can be. The second-round pick suffered ankle and toe injuries early on. Jackson's coverage was relatively sharp despite clearly being limited by them. However, as the schedule went on the toe began to affect his mobility more and more. By the time Matt Rhule's staff finally shut him down a couple weeks ago, Jackson had given up 371 yards and three touchdowns in coverage. While those aren't terrible numbers, it's a far cry from what Jackson could have done if he'd been playing healthy all season. Jackson should return to the lineup after the bye week along with running back Christian McCaffrey. We know No. 22 will be an integral part of this team for several more seasons. Jackson's future is far more uncertain, though. After these next four games he'll be entering the final year of his rookie contract. How he plays to finish out the season could have major implications for his next deal.
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Bridgewater has been roughly what we expected coming into this season - that is a competent quarterback who won't lose you games by making dumb mistakes but also can't put the team on his back and win them the way his predecessor could. Heading into the last month of the season, Bridgewater ranks third in completion % but he still hasn't led a single game-winning drive. Considering the weapons he has and the fact that Carolina has been competitive most of the time, that's a pretty disappointing state of affairs. Bridgewater will likely be the starter at the beginning of the 2021 season by default based on the structure of his contract. However, if he's going to keep his QB1 status, Teddy has to embrace his more aggressive instincts. 14 touchdown passes in 11 games is simply not enough production to justify a true long-term, franchise QB kind of commitment. If Bridgewater doesn't play the best ball of his career these next four weeks, the Panthers will have to consider drafting a potential new starter. [vertical-gallery id=631392]
