Joe Brady: Curtis Samuel “Critical” To Panthers Success

After adding Robby Anderson this offseason, some wondered if Curtis Samuel was still in the plans for Carolina? Well, maybe there’s no reason to worry and there’s a place for Samuel in this offense after all. New offensive coordinator Joe Brady called Curtis Samuel “critical” to the Panthers’ success. I’m excited to see what the plan is for him.

“Curtis is going to be critical to success,” Brady said, via the Charlotte Observer. “I say that, I wish I could have had an opportunity to be out at practices and whatnot, and Curtis is the one that I can’t wait to see him do what he does on the field. Curtis is a playmaker. He fits the mold of what we’re looking for in this type of offense, a guy that you can utilize all around the field and get the ball in the hands and good things happen. I think you saw stuff last year that shows that he can be a big-play wide receiver, down the field. We’re getting the ball in space and I’m excited for him to take the next leap. And I know that he wants that.”

One thing I hope Joe Brady does with Curtis Samuel is use him more as a running back. Samuel was so good at Ohio State in that role. Samuel averaged 7.5 yards per carry in 172 attempts at Ohio State. Why he hasn’t been used in that role often in the NFL is beyond me. It’s not like Carolina has a solid backup running back either.

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Samuel was a player rumored to be on the trade block this offseason. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. A year ago, Samuel had 54 catches for 627 yards and six touchdowns. He now enters a contract year in what feels like a make or break campaign. I hope Brady gets the most out of Samuel because he should be a weapon for this offense.