from the AAF to a one-year deal."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomCarolina Panthers free agency 2019Carolina Panthers sign former AAF guard Kitt O’BrienNew Blue Shaq Thompson Jersey ,14commentsThe Panthers have added another offensive lineman from the AAF to a one-year deal.EDTShareTweetShareShareCarolina Panthers sign former AAF guard Kitt O’BrienThe Panthers continue to raid the AAF closet as they have signed yet another offensive lineman from the recently disbanded league. Former Birmingham Iron guard Kitt O’Brien has signed a one-year deal with the Panthers, according to the team’s website.O’Brien (6-foot-5, 325 lbs) has spent time with the Colts and Browns since being an undrafted free agent in 2013 out of Ball State. He was most recently with the Birmingham Iron in the AAF before the league disbanded earlier in the week.O’Brien gives the Panthers another offensive lineman to look at during offseason workouts for potential depth. The team has continued to search every possible nook and cranny for offensive linemen this offseason to hopefully provide franchise quarterback Cam Newton some adequate protection in 2019. There’s a chance that O’Brien can impress enough to make the 53-man roster at the end of the summer, but right now I’d say his most likely landing spot is the practice squad. Things can certainly change, though Shaq Thompson Jersey 2019 , so keep an eye on him throughout the team’s offseason workouts. He may just surprise us all. The Panthers offense left a lot to be desired in 2018 thanks to some unfortunate injuries, but also benefited from the rise of Christian McCaffrey into a bona fide superstar."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomPanthers 2018 season review: The Panthers offense New,12commentsThe Panthers offense left a lot to be desired in 2018 thanks to some unfortunate injuries, but also benefited from the rise of Christian McCaffrey into a bona fide superstar. ESTShareTweetShareSharePanthers 2018 season review: The Panthers offense The Carolina Panthers hired veteran offensive guru Norv Turner to be their coordinator with the hope that he would help them ‘evolve’ the team’s offense from the 1970s style of football under Mike Shula’s guidance. For the most part, the offense at least looked different than it has in years past Blue Taylor Moton Jersey , but unfortunately the team’s evolution didn’t produce wins. The Panthers went 1-7 in the second half of the season and limped to a 7-9 final record to finish third in the NFC South.Coaching isn’t even most of the story of the 2018 Panthers’ offense, however. This season was more about injuries, new superstars, and rookies making a name for themselves.So what happened to the Panthers’ offense in 2018? Let’s take a look.Those stupid dadgum injuriesThe Panthers lost both starting offensive tackles before the season even began. Both Daryl Williams and Matt Kalil suffered season-ending injuries before Week 1 was over. Jeremiah Sirles—who was signed to bolster the depth on the offensive line—was hurt in the preseason and waived before the regular season began. Fozzy Whittaker was placed on injured reserve before the season began. Curtis Samuel missed the first three weeks of the season with a heart condition. Torrey Smith missed four straight games in the middle of the year with a knee injury. Greg Olsen missed three of the first four games and ended the year on injured reserve. tl;dr - The Panthers had a lot of injuries in 2018.And we haven’t even gotten to the biggest one...Cam Newton’s shoulderFranchise quarterback Cam Newton suffered from a sore shoulder throughout the year, but after a vicious hit from Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt on Thursday Night Football he was never the same. The Panthers lost six straight games while Cam struggled to throw the football more than 20 yards downfield Taylor Moton Jersey 2019 , and eventually the team wisely shut him down for the season. Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen and Garrett Gilbert all saw time at quarterback for those final two games as the Panthers limped to a 7-9 finish.The rise of Christian McCaffreyThe Panthers relied heavily on Christian McCaffrey in 2018, so much that he came close to being the third player in NFL history to have 1000 rushing and receiving yards in the same season (he finished with 1098 rushingyards and 867 receiving yards). I’m not sure any of us want to imagine what the Panthers’ offense would have looked like in 2018 without McCaffrey on the roster. Let’s just say that we’re lucky we don’t have to think about it and leave it at that.The emergence of D.J. Moore and Ian ThomasThe Panthers selected D.J. Moore with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft because they wanted to add someone with dynamic play-making ability at the wide receiver position. The move paid off in spades, as Moore showed his versatility with 788 receiving yards and 172 rushing yards with two touchdowns in his rookie campaign.Ian Thomas was a fourth round pick who was supposed to be the No. 2 tight end behind Greg Olsen to allow him time to learn on the job before eventually taking over. Another foot injury to Olsen forced Thomas to take over the No. 1 tight end role sooner than expected, and he made the most of his opportunity with 36 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns.Both made their share of rookie mistakes that led to often costly turnovers youth Luke Kuechly Jersey , but that was far from the end of the world in a season that was lost over much bigger issues than the yips. With those out of the way, these are two young playmakers poised to become household names in the Carolinas.What about the rest?There’s a lot more to the 2018 Panthers offense than I’ve covered today. So much that it will take more than one column to dive into all the details. Here at CSR we’re going to spend this week taking a closer look at what made the offense tick (or not tick) in 2018, and we’re going to provide some intricate details on each position group during the next few days. If that’s something that interests you, stay tuned!