Not many teams were more disappointing than the Carolina Panthers this year. Cam Newton couldn't sniff returning value for where he was drafted in season-long leagues, Kelvin Benjamin had plentiful duds after his hot start, and Greg Olsen's touchdown total fell by four from 2015.
Is it possible it was all due to one injury?
It's hard to say definitively, but you can't ignore how much the team struggled without center Ryan Kalil. He sustained a shoulder injury in Week 8, missed the next two games, and then was placed on injured reserve just one game after returning. The Panthers' offense was never the same after that.
Here's a look at how the team performed with and without Kalil in his eight games this season. They didn't necessarily kill it when Kalil was healthy, but they were certainly worse when he was out.
| Split | Passing NEP/P | Pass Succes Rate | Rushing NEP/P | Rush Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| With Ryan Kalil | 0.07 | 43.34% | 0.00 | 42.29% |
| Without Ryan Kalil | -0.06 | 40.83% | -0.01 | 36.73% |
If it were just a regular guard who was out, we might want to be skeptical of these splits. Kalil, though, is a two-time Associated Press All-Pro selection, including as recently as 2015. When you add in that he's the center -- often the second-most important player on the line behind the left tackle -- and these splits become much more legit.
Kalil's heading into just his age-32 season, so we should expect him to come back at full strength. When he does, he should bring back with him a rejuvenated Panthers offense that will amp up all positions. They're not likely to unleash the nastiness they did in 2015, but they could easily out-pace 2016's disappointment.
This isn't a bad offense to buy at a reasonable price for next year.