Cat Scratch Reader
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! These are the answers to all YOUR questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even off topic! Let’s dive right in this week’s mailbag!
Bruce Guild: Why can’t we win the division.
I linked your whole comment just so others can see the context, but the Buccaneers are definitely not going to be an easy team to topple from the top of the NFC South. Of course, that’s assuming the team doesn’t eat itself due to injuries, which seems to be happening right now. But Baker Mayfield is definitely in the MVP conversation, that offense and defense is just solid all around. They could be vulnerable against the run, which would work in the Panthers favor, but overall they are just a more complete team than the Panthers. And I think the first Falcons game was more of an anomaly and we’ll see something a lot closer when the Panthers face them again. But hey, the Panthers are at least in the conversation to win the division, which is a lot more progress than the last two seasons.
bulletooftony: Has Ickey’s play so far warranted another contract?
Also I am not sure how many picks we have in next years draft but what position do you think we are set on, as in no need to draft that? K, LS, and P do not count lol.
I think at this point Ikem Ekwonu is absolutely worth giving an extension. He’s certainly not an elite pass protector, but for the identity of what this team is trying to do, which is run the football and dominate the line of scrimmage, he’s doing just that most of the time. On top of that, offensive line retention is almost as important as having key depth to providing consistency at that position group. With Taylor Moton on the last legs of his career, I think retaining Ickey is a no-brainer at this point.
The Panthers currently have 7 picks next year, with two 5ths instead of a 7th thanks to the Adam Thielen trade (at this point). I would probably say RB is about the only position that couldn’t use additional resources, I don’t really view any other position as a spot that couldn’t benefit from an injection of young talent. Even if you’re sold on Bryce Young, the Panthers could use a capable backup. Andy Dalton isn’t getting any younger.
KeepPounding88: If Bryce continued on this current track (game-manager, doesn’t even get 200 passing yards in a game), would that be enough for the front office to pick up his 5th year option? I feel like they might be confusing a starting QB with a franchise QB.
I got basically the same question last week, but I will answer it again; I think at this point picking up Bryce Young’s 5th year option makes sense whether you are sold on him or not. The 5th...
