Can the Carolina Panthers become the belle of the ball in 2023? Well, there’s at least one NFL analyst who thinks so.
On Wednesday’s episode of NFL Total Access, former offensive lineman and prolific tape grinder Brian Baldinger named the Panthers as his “Cinderella Team” for the upcoming season. He said he believes Carolina can make a run into the playoffs, and it all starts with what was a constant weak spot for the franchise.
“Did any team last year have more adversity/turmoil than the Carolina Panthers?” he said. “Coaching changes, a lot of changes there. We don’t know who the quarterback is gonna be next year. But, they won seven games last year. And when I look at why I think the Carolina Panthers could be a playoff team this year, it starts, to me—they fixed their offensive line. Whoever’s the quarterback’s gonna play behind a quality offensive line. Taylor Moton, Ickey [Ikem Ekwonu], [Bradley] Bozeman. I mean, it’s a good group.”
It actually might be the best group this organization has fielded in quite some time. They have a promising first-round blindside protector in Ekwonu, two dominant road-grading guards in Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett, a nasty center in Bozeman and an iron man right tackle in Taylor Moton—who hasn’t missed a single snap in the past three years.
These hog mollies have not only solidified what was previously an unstable trench, especially with the re-signing of Bozeman, but they also helped establish an actual offensive identity to close out the 2022 campaign. And now, they’ll be establishing something new in 2023—with whomever is taking the snaps behind them.
