Did the Carolina Panthers push closer to another NFC title in 2019?

Are the Carolina Panthers close to another NFC title after what they accomplished in the 2019 offseason? We take a look at their important moves.

The Carolina Panthers won the NFC Championship in impressive fashion in 2015, but have failed to return to that elite status in the three years following.

Winning consistently in the NFL is very difficult, but the Panthers probably felt like the way Cam Newton was playing, it wouldn’t be long before they were back in the Super Bowl again and competing for an NFL championship.

Unfortunately, they have two losing seasons among their last three, and are fresh off of a 7-9 season which saw Cam Newton struggle badly with shoulder issues.

It’s safe to say the Panthers and their fan base have been concerned about Newton but it also seems like he’s slowly going to return to form.

If that’s the case, this is a team to be reckoned with in the NFC.

Newton is capable of playing at an MVP level and has a great group of weapons around him, but the Panthers’ moves this offseason have set them up for success on both sides of the ball.

Here are three moves the Panthers made that I think help give them a substantial edge in the NFC South if Newton is healthy enough to play at his normal high level.

1. Matt Paradis, C (Free agent)

The Panthers signing Matt Paradis is one of the great highway robbery jobs of the 2019 offseason.

Paradis should have signed a contract to make him the highest paid center in the NFL after becoming Denver’s starter in 2015 and playing at an elite level for the past four years, but it didn’t go the way he planned.

After spending some time on IR this past season, Paradis’ value apparently went down and he signed with Carolina for three years, $29.03 million.

For the Panthers to get one of the best centers in the NFL at that price? That’s a steal. Paradis is going to anchor that offensive line and provide some much needed stability snapping the ball to Newton.

2. Brian Burns, EDGE (NFL Draft)

The Panthers used their first-round pick on edge player Brian Burns, who brings some much-needed youth to the defensive front.

Burns has a wicked spin move, awesome length, and very good athletic ability off the edge.

He had three forced fumbles each of the past two seasons and has been an impact player since he stepped foot onto the Florida State campus.

The Panthers finally have a player coming off the edge who can win with speed and quickness on a consistent basis.

3. Gerald McCoy, DL (Free Agent)

Gerald McCoy coming over from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes this move even juicier, but the Panthers got themselves a star player for their interior defensive line who will now be playing with a massive chip on his shoulder.

McCoy may not be the player he once was, but he’s still capable of wrecking games from the inside out. The Panthers are now pairing McCoy with Dontari Poe on the inside along with Brian Burns and Bruce Irvin on the outside.

It’s not a star-studded cast, but the interior pressure Poe and McCoy are able to get should help the edge players quite a bit.

Carolina knows its defense is going to be key to keeping this team in contention through the 2019 season, and they made the necessary moves to fortify every level of defense, including the safety position by re-signing Eric Reid, who played extremely well after being signed off the street last year.