Carolina Panthers receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. was flying high around this very same time last year. The rookie absolutely owned the summer, following up a particularly impressive training camp with an eye-opening display of preseason performances.
He established himself, by quite a few accounts, as one of the most popular breakout candidates for the 2021 season. But now, in one heck of a twist, Marshall Jr. has been named a trade candidate for the 2022 season.
With roster bubbles set to burst next week, NFL.com lead draft writer Eric Edholm listed players who could soon be cut loose or shipped away. He includes Marshall Jr., noting that head coach Matt Rhule may be losing confidence in his once highly-touted pass catcher.
“This is pure conjecture here; we’ve heard no credible reports the Panthers are shopping Marshall,” Edholm writes. “But it’s hard not to see Matt Rhule’s frustration mounting with the 2021 second-rounder, who has battled a hamstring injury.
“Marshall was back in action last week during the Patriots’ joint practices, but he tweaked the hamstring and did not play in the game. ‘We need Terrace to start practicing,’ Rhule said. ‘We need him to step up.'”
“A trade might be a bit of a dramatic step to take at this stage, unless the Panthers truly don’t believe Marshall can overcome the health issues that apparently have followed him from LSU to Charlotte. Other Panthers receivers, including Shi Smith and Rashard Higgins, have stepped up in Marshall’s absence. But is it enough to convince GM Scott Fitterer to trade away one of his first Carolina draft picks?”
Marshall Jr. followed up his stellar preseason play in 2021 with a disappointing rookie campaign. After amassing 181 receiving yards over three exhibition contests, he totaled just 138 yards on 17 receptions in 13 actual games.
Meanwhile, Smith and Higgins really have stepped up in their opportunities of late. Smith is proving to be a big-play threat, on offense and possibly on special teams, while Higgins has been one of the most consistently solid Panthers thus far.
Luckily for Marshall Jr., he’ll still have some time to reestablish himself and realize that potential. But that time continues to wind down with the wideout room growing stuffier and Week 1 quickly approaching.
