Retain, Restore or Release: A 2018 Carolina Panthers Wide Receiver Review

A 2018-2019 Carolina Panthers wide receiver review. Who will remain on the team heading into the next season and who will go?

There was a ton of controversy surrounding this position in the early parts of the season when Devin Funchess and Torrey Smith were named starters for the Carolina Panthers over the promising duo of Curtis Samuel and rookie D.J. Moore—and rightfully so! It seemed that every time Samuel had the ball in his hands, he was headed for the end zone and when Moore got the ball, it seemed like it took defenses forever to bring him down. Carolina also saw a lot of positives out of Jarius Wright being the reliable target he is on third downs and many big-play situations. Moving forward, this may be an interesting off-season for the Panthers wide receiver group.

Carolina Panthers Wide Receiver Review

Retain

It goes without saying that D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel are the future at the WR position. Despite only starting in 10 out of 16 games, Moore managed to rack up 960 all-purpose yards (788 receiving on 55 receptions and 172 yards on 13 carries.) Moore’s route-running and ability to hold onto the football were exposed throughout the season. Fortunately, Moore is still developing as an NFL WR and will make the proper adjustments, so he can become a more dynamic player heading into his second year.

Ideally, Moore will be used as a “Z” while his counterpart Curtis Samuel is in the “X” position. Reason being, is that Samuel was frequently wide open down the field towards the later parts of the season–but Cam Newton was unable to get him the ball due to his compromised shoulder. That amount of separation can be attributed to Samuel’s world-class speed, but his route running was crisp and precise; which makes him a more complete receiver and more of a terror for defenses to cover- especially down the field.

Although Samuel’s numbers were lower than Moore’s, accumulating 578 all-purpose yards (494 receiving on 39 receptions and 84 yards on eight carries,) next season Samuel’s role will be increased from the start now that Ron Rivera knows what Samuel is capable of with an increased work load.

The reliable veteran Jarius Wright has been without a doubt, the Panthers’ best free agent signing last season. The team is fortunate enough to keep him around for two more years in a mentor role as well as a key contributor on the field. That signing went perfect. He finished the season with his second highest receiving yardage total on his career (447) showing that he meshes well with this offense and the man who’s calling the shots Norv Turner; who he’s had a history with in Minnesota. Wright will continue to fulfill his reliable gadget-player role going into next season.

2019-2020 Stat Predictions:
Curtis Samuel: 55 REC, 945 YDS, 8 TDs; 12 CAR, 85 YDS, 3 TDs
DJ Moore: 65 REC, 1150 YDS, 10 TDs; 7 CAR, 48 YDS, 1 TD
Jarius Wright: 40 REC, 795 YDS, 4 TDs; 3 CAR, 25 YDS

Restore

Heading into the 2019-20, Damiere Byrd is a free agent and there is a chance that he may be in another uniform next season due to his injury history. Byrd has shown flashes of his insane talent and potential, but he can’t stay healthy to save his life. The receiver was healthy for eight out of sixteen games and was primarily used for special teams. Last year, he showed Carolina his value when he returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the first time since 2011. Byrd also showed his ability as a standout wide receiver with last year’s group–again, when he was healthy.

Panthers fans will never forget the “butt touchdown” Byrd scored against the Green Bay Packers, so it’s safe to say that he has a spot in the heart of Panthers fans, But the major question for him is, is it worth it?

If Byrd were to return and Carolina decides to get rid of either Devin Funchess, Torrey Smith or both, he’s instantly placed into the #4 wide receiver position, which would get him on the field more often barring injury or a better replacement coming through; whether through free agency or the draft. In that role, he’d get around 10-15 catches on the year, maybe a few handoffs here and there in addition to his special teams role.

It would not be a mistake to sign Byrd on a one or two-year deal. However, with the limited cap space the Panthers already have, it doesn’t seem likely that a walking health risk will be re-signed in spite of potential.

Another receiver on the thin line is Torrey Smith. After a slow start, he finally started to pick the pace up against the Eagles when he got a huge reception to keep the Panthers alive for their eventual comeback. Unfortunately, his season was derailed by injury and he was never able to capitalize off of that momentum. He finished the season with 190 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 17 receptions.

However, the 30-year-old veteran may be released so that the team can save $5 million in cap space. In addition to that, the team already has a future deep threat in the aforementioned Curtis Samuel and there may not be a need for an older version of him on the team.

The only way Smith will stay is if he’s content on being in a mentorship role for the younger guys… then again, Jarius Wright is still around. Smith may be trade-bait for a mid-late round draft pick.

2019-2020 Stat Predictions (assuming they stay):
Damiere Byrd: 12 REC, 185 YDS, 2 TDs; 12 KR, 415 YDS, 1 TD; 4 PR, 100 YDS, 1 TD
Torrey Smith: 12 REC, 215 YDS, 4 TDs

Release

Fans had high hopes for Devin Funchess coming into this season. In the Panthers’ last playoff season, Funchess had 840 yards on 63 receptions and added eight TDs to that. Fans thought that he would break out this season as the team’s WR1, but that didn’t age well.

Instead, Funchess became a slightly-faster, slimmed down Kelvin Benjamin with a lineup. Fans on twitter even went as far as calling him “Delvin Funchamin.” He jogged his routes, he didn’t turn his head, he got bullied by inferior corners and now he’s asking for market value which is projected to be around $8.9 million a year for him?! If you do the math, if he gets a five-year deal, that’s around $35.6 million without the bonus or incentives; which is far too much for a player that has decreased in production and was a healthy scratch in the season finale.

For a man projected to be a #1 receiver, 44 catches, 549 yards, four touchdowns, and getting boxed out by Eli Apple isn’t going to cut it. It’s time for the Panthers to cut their losses now and find different big man to get those 50-50 balls and have a dominating presence in the red zone–where the Panthers struggled towards the end of the season.

Draft

Carolina may have struck out with Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess as big guys, but maybe the third time is the charm. The next big man in Charlotte could be the six-foot-four David Sills V out of West Virginia. Sills only weighs 204 lbs, but he plays with unmatched aggression–which is how he finished his season with 986 yards and 15 TDs. Sills isn’t the fastest guy in the world, but his ability to come down with those 50-50 balls and manhandle defensive backs would be a huge boost for the Panthers WR core.

Fortunately for the Panthers, Sills may drop into to third or fourth round since teams are focused on K’Neal Harry, Marquise Brown, D.K. Metcalf, Deebo Samuel and other bigger named prospects. If Sills were to be drafted by the Panthers and carried that same aggressive play over to the NFL alongside DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel with a reliable Jarius Wright coming in to make a play every so often, the Panthers could give the Saints and Chiefs a run for their money in regard to having a high-powered offense.

The only way that the Panthers should possibly consider Funchess staying is if he takes a massive paycut, a reduced role and as a last resort, switch to TE like he was in college; which is highly unlikely. Funchess has proved that he’s unable to be the #1 receiver, now there’s a new lead man in town and his name is Curtis Samuel.

2019-2020 Stat Predictions:
Devin Funchess: I don’t know, but I know Matthew Stafford or Josh Allen sure love to throw the deep ball.

Panthers Pick-Ups:

This free agent receiver class is as good as one would expect it to be when Devin Funchess is considered a top option. In this class, outside of Robby Anderson, nobody will find their next breakout #1 receiver. But there are tons of “plug-n-play” guys that could make a huge difference for the Carolina Panthers.

Chris Hogan is six-foot two and weighs a little more than 220 pounds, which would already make him the biggest receiver on the team. Although he’s the same age as Torrey Smith, he’s currently producing at a much higher level and he’s a cheaper option. Hogan is currently worth an annual salary of $4 million, which even on a two or three-year deal wouldn’t destroy the team’s cap space. This past season, Hogan accumulated 532 yards on 35 receptions, getting into the end zone three times. His numbers may see a slight drop since the Panthers aren’t a pass-heavy team and he may be sitting behind 3-4 other guys, but when he’s on the field, fans can expect him to make an immediate impact to boost the offense.

Another good FA option would be the six-foot-four Tyrell Williams. Financially, this move is amazing because he’s currently worth $2.9 million and the 27-year-old hasn’t even entered the prime of his career yet. For the Los Angeles Chargers in 2016, he was a 1,000-yard receiver. The past two seasons he’s racked up 728 yards in 2017 and 653 yards in 2018. Although his role decreased, he still managed to bring a high level of production to the table. He’s also improved significantly with drops over those three seasons. In 2016 he had nine and in this past season, three. Williams would also be in the same position as Hogan on the depth chart except time is actually on his side. Williams could end up with a three or four-year deal and still not do any real damage to the cap space.