Top 10 Carolina Panthers

10. Kevin Greene

Greene spent only three of his 15 seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, but he was very impactful while he was with Carolina. Kevin rang up 41.5 sacks while with the Panthers. He led the NFL in that category with 14.5 in 1996. Kevin was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team that season. He also made the Pro Bowl in another one of his seasons with the Panthers. In addition to the sacks, Greene picked off two passes, forced three fumbles, recovered seven, and returned one for a TD. Kevin had a short, but productive stint with the Panthers.

9. Thomas Davis

Davis began his career with the Panthers in 2005 and he was still active through 2018. Thomas actually had his best seasons relatively late in his career. From 2015–17 Davis was named to the Pro Bowl. In addition, he was named to the All-Pro team in 2015. Thomas had a balanced game, putting up 28 sacks, forcing 18 fumbles and recovering 11, and returning one for a TD. He also intercepted 13 passes. Thomas was also named to the NFL’s Top 100 players three times. He went on to play with the Cardinals in 2019.

7. Christian McCaffrey

Christian McCaffrey is one of the best RBs in the NFL, when healthy. That’s a big caveat. In 2019 Christian had an amazing season. He led the league in total yards from scrimmage with 2392 yards, rushing for 1387 yards while catching 116 passes for another 1005 yards. He also scored a total of 19 TDs. Prior to 2019, McCaffrey put together a couple of good seasons. After 2019 he played in two more seasons for the Panthers but played in only 10 more games. After that, he was traded for some middling draft picks. The trade wasn’t as bad as the trade with the Bears for the Bryce Young pick, but bad.

7. Muhsin Muhammad

Moose was a big-time wide receiver who spent the first 11 of his 14 seasons in the NFL with the Panthers. In 2000, Moose led the NFL in catches with 102. In 2004 Muhsin led the league in receiving yards with 1405. Muhammad was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams that season. He was also named to the Pro Bowl in 1999. For his 11 seasons in Carolina, his totals were 696 catches good for 9255 yards and 50 TDs. His top season for TD receptions was again 2004 when he led the NFL in that category with 16. In 11 playoff games with the Panthers, Moose caught another 20 passes for 407 yards and a couple of TDs.

6. Jordan Gross

Gross spent all 11 seasons of his NFL career cementing the Panthers’ offensive line. Most of his time was spent at left tackle. Gross was named to the Pro Bowl three times and was named All-Pro for his work during the 2008 season. Jordan is the only Panthers offensive lineman to make this list.

5. Wesley Walls

Before Greg Olson was catching passes from the TE slot for the Panthers, Wesley Walls was doing the same thing. Walls was good enough to be named to the Pro Bowl in five of his seven seasons with the Panthers. In all Wesley caught 324 passes for 3902 yards and 44 TDs.

4. Cam Newton

Cam had had his ups and downs in his ten seasons with the Panthers, but the ups have really been high. In 2011 he was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the year. In 2015 he was the league’s MVP. Cam was voted to the Pro Bowl three times and All-Pro once. While Newton’s passer rating with the Panthers was only 85.4, he supplemented the Panthers’ offense with his running ability. In all, he rushed for 5036 yards and 63 TDs. He ran for 14 TDs in his rookie season alone. Newton has thrown for 186 TDs against 113 picks, which doesn’t jump out at you. But once again, in Newton’s case, there’s more there than just passing numbers.

3. Steve Smith

I would call Steve competitive, but that doesn’t come close to describing him. Fierce is closer but I’m not sure even that is strong enough. Smith’s time with the Panthers spanned 13 seasons. He had a monster season in 2005 when he led the NFL in receptions with 103, receiving yards with 1563, and TD receptions with 12. Steve was a five-time Pro Bowler with the Panthers and was twice named to the All-Pro team. In addition to his pass receiving, Steve returned four punts for TDs and did the same with two kickoffs. In nine playoff games for Carolina, Steve caught 51 passes for 856 yards and eight TDs. Smith was obviously one of the most, if not the most dynamic offensive players in Panthers’ history.

2. Julius Peppers

For 10 seasons Julius Peppers made big plays for the Panthers from his defensive end position. He accounted for 97 sacks, forced 34 fumbles, and recovered 10. He also intercepted six passes and returned two of them for scores. His time with the Panthers was punctuated by being named to five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams. Julius was named to the NFL’s 2002 All-Rookie team and the Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All 2000 Second team, and the Pro Football Reference All 2000s first team. Julius is one of the best defenders the NFL has seen in the last 30 years.

1. Luke Kuechly

Simply stated, Luke was one of the best defenders in the NFL from 2012 to 2019. Luke was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012. Of course, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie team that season. The following season he was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. In all, Luke has been named to seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams. Twice he’s led the league in tackles. Kuechly wasn’t a huge pass rusher, accounting for 12.5 sacks. He’s also intercepted 16 passes, returning one of them for a TD. Luke has forced seven fumbles and recovered nine. Kuechly is the best player in Panthers’ history.

So, what Panthers made your list?

Enjoy sports trivia? Check this out: Amazon.com: Yesterday’s Heroes Sports Quizzes: Sports Trivia for Baby Boomers eBook : Lambert, Larry: Kindle Store