The Carolina Panthers‘ 2023 season has not gone according to plan.
Bryce Young has demonstrated the struggles that a team can have with a rookie quarterback, resulting in the team’s 1-10 record.
The team recently decided to part ways with Frank Reich, a potential reason for their woes to this point.
Fans were frustrated with Reich’s decision-making, including a surprising move in the Panthers’ recent loss.
As Panthers reporter Mike Kaye has pointed out, the Panthers benched their best kick returner in this game.
Something to think about: In a game that was clearly going to be tight/low scoring, the Panthers sat the league’s leading kick returner (avg with at least 5 returns) to get the RB numbers down to three with a WR serving as a “running back” in function who was coming off an ankle…
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) November 27, 2023
Raheem Blackshear has averaged 34.3 yards per return this season, the best of any returner with 5+ opportunities.
The team decided to sit him in this game, something Kaye saw as an egregious error.
Instead of Blackshear, the Panthers had D’Shawn Jamison and Laviska Shenault Jr. handle those duties in this game.
Jamison had two returns that totaled 40 yards, and Shenault’s lone return was for 31 yards.
While both of these stat lines are promising, it seems odd, at least in Kaye’s mind, that they utilized these two over Blackshear.
The Panthers have made a lot of interesting decisions throughout the year.
While this wasn’t the only negative towards Reich, it could have been the straw to break the camel’s back within the organization.
It will be interesting to see how the team moves forward without Reich calling the shots.
Young was a highly-touted rookie, and this team was built around him to succeed in Year 1.
With someone else as their signal-caller, Young might be able to play his own game, resulting in a better all-around performance.
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