Parker Anderson-Flicker
There has been a mass receiver exodus from the Carolina Panthers’ receiving corps this Offseason. Steve Smith is now a Baltimore Raven after being cut by the team. Brandon LaFell is filling a much-needed “Aaron Hernandez” type role with the New England Patriots after signing a three-year 11 million-dollar deal in March. Ted Ginn signed a three-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals worth 9.75 Million. Heck even Domenik Hixon attempted to find greener pastures in Chicago, but to no avail. With the top Receivers having new homes, did Panthers’ General Manager Dave Gettleman do enough through Free-Agency and the NFL Draft to replenish the corps and give Cam Newton some viable targets?
The answer to the question is yes. Gettleman brought in seasoned veterans in Jason Avant, Jerricho Cotchery and Tiquan Underwood via Free-Agency. Avant in my opinion is one of the more polished slot receivers in the league. The man has “stickem” on his hands and can run precise routes with his eyes closed. He’ll fit in just fine as the number 2 or 1 in the fold. Cotchery and Underwood are those annoying little grinders, who fight their way onto someone’s NFL roster each year. This year they will be competing for the third slot on the depth chart. These men have to do a better job than the 29th ranked passing attack from last season. Gettleman did well in the Free-Agency; he managed to pluck a star receiver out of this year’s Draft as well.
With the 28th overall pick in this year’s draft, the Panthers managed to steal the Draft’s number two rated WR in Florida State product Kelvin Benjamin. Many pundits believe Benjamin to have the size and talent of a number one receiver. A writer from ESPN reported, “It’s a wise move considering Benjamin’s raw skill set and the Panthers’ need for him to be a No. 1 receiver right away.” I believe that he has potential to be a number one, but with Avant in house, the timeframe to rise to that spot is not as pressing. Benjamin’s towering size at 6’5” 240lbs is one of the main reasons Carolina could not pass him up. The best thing about having such size at the position is that you don’t have to worry about who will be the “X” receiver. Newton is excited about the pickup of Benjamin as he had this to day on twitter on draft day.
Welcome to the @Panthers Kelvin Benjamin! Congrats and get ready to #KEEPPOUNDING
Newton can breathe a short sigh of relief knowing that Gettleman didn’t leave him hanging in the talent department. I say short because he will still need to build chemistry with the new guys. They will grow together into a crew that can consider themselves competitive in the NFC South. Of course the additions still don’t measure up to the power house receiving corps of the rest of the NFC South, but at least we know the people at the other end of Cam Newton’s passes will catch the rock. Hopefully he will put the sticks down long enough to gel with his new receivers.
Jermaine Lockett is a writer for CouchRiderReport.net. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, follow Couch Rider on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
