Carolina’s offense missing key players ahead of trip to Atlanta
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cam Newton heads to his hometown of Atlanta this weekend without his favorite target — tight end Greg Olsen — and potentially three regular starters on the offensive line charged with protecting him.
That might concern some NFL quarterbacks, but the Carolina Panthers star is taking it stride.
“My question back to you is, does it really matter?” the 2015 league MVP said in matter-of-fact fashion. “If it is concerning, I still have to do something; if it’s not concerning, I still have to do whatever I’ve got to do anyway.
“In the history of the National Football League, I don’t think there have been 32 teams that have not had injuries. It’s an unforgiving game, and you have to roll with the punches and make due with whatever hand you’re given.”
Still, it’s far from an ideal scenario for the Panthers, who had enough off-the-field distractions this week with players and coaches worrying about making sure their families were safe as Hurricane Florence approached the East Coast.
On the field, the Panthers will be replacing Olsen, a three-time 1,000-yard receiver, for the second straight year after he again broke his right foot in a 16-8 win over the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday.
However, the Panthers have enough faith in rookie Ian Thomas and backup Chris Manhertz — who have a combined five catches in the NFL — that they decided against signing another tight end via free agency.
Newton understood why, saying Thomas has the potential to be a “premier tight end” in the NFL.
“His expectations are high, and I talked to him and told him today, ‘Listen, you don’t have any room for error,’” Newton said Wednesday. “We know who you are replacing — and the shoes you are filling are extremely big. But I wouldn’t be wasting my time (talking about Thomas), though, if I didn’t believe in his skill set.”
The reality is replacing Olsen may be be far less concerning for the Panthers than finding enough suitable bodies to protect their franchise quarterback.
Carolina is deeper than it has been in years at wide receiver with the likes of Devin Funchess, Torrey Smith, Jarius Wright and rookie D.J. Moore, as well as running back Christian McCaffrey coming out of the backfield — so there are plenty of options in the passing game.
The offensive line doesn’t have that same depth, prompting the Panthers to trade for Corey Robinson before the season opener and sign eight-year NFL veteran offensive tackle Chris Clark on Wednesday. Clark replaces right tackle Daryl Williams, a second-team All-Pro last season who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a knee injury. He joins left tackle Matt Kalil, who was put on IR before the opener.
On top of that, the Panthers learned Wednesday they also might be without three-time Pro Bowl right guard Trai Turner against the Falcons. Turner came to practice Wednesday morning feeling ill and was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol. He cannot practice or play until he’s cleared.
All of that means major shuffling on the offensive line for Carolina.
Rivera said he isn’t sure who will start at right guard or right tackle, and the team will continue to work different combinations in practice. The Panthers will consider Clark and Amini Silatolu and Corey Robinson this week at right tackle, while Tyler Larsen, Brendan Mahon or Silatolu could end up at left guard, but the coach noted anything is possible.
“We have a combination of things to go through,” Rivera said. “Just like last week, we won’t really know where are headed until after Friday.”
The Panthers aren’t going to get a whole lot of sympathy from the Falcons, who will try to bounce back from an 18-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and are dealing with their own injuries after the losses of linebacker Deion Jones and safety Keanu Neal, key starters whose absence can’t be overlooked.