Something strange happened midway through last season.

On conference calls with Carolina media, opposing coaches didn’t just praise the Panthers’ defense and rave about guys like Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. All of a sudden, Mike Shula’s much-maligned offense was something to behold.

"As a play caller on defense it's very, very difficult because you have to defend everything," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said in Week 8.

Three games and 93 points later, Redskins coach Jay Gruden gushed.

"They’ve got weapons where you can’t just hone in and say let’s double team [Greg] Olsen, then you leave Ted Ginn open. So you take a safety and put them over top of somebody and you leave the running lanes open,” Gruden said.

"They’re tough to deal with, with the quarterback designed runs, the Jonathan Stewart runs, the read option, the reverses, the arounds, all the stuff that they do. They can hurt you in a lot of different ways."

In Shula’s first two seasons in charge of the offense, the Panthers finished 18th and then 19th in points scored. In 2015, Carolina caught fire, piling up 500 points and 54 offensive touchdowns. Both set team records and paced the NFL.

Said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll ahead of the Divisional Playoff:

"This is the most diversified offense that we see."

As potent as the Panthers’ offense appeared, an NFL-best 39 takeaways led to 148 points. That's nearly one-third of that league-leading 500 point total. Whether or not the defense again sets the table so generously in 2016, the offense needs to keep evolving.

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

 

One of the most noteworthy moves involving the Panthers this offseason ended up flying well below the radar. As NFL Media’s Rand Getlin reported, Carolina did try to land free agent tight end Jared Cook before he signed a 1-year deal worth as much as $3.6 million with the Packers.

While not a big name among tight ends, Cook averaged 47.0 catches, 613.6 yards and three scores with the Titans and Rams the past five seasons. Compare those averages with Ed Dickson’s first two years in Carolina: 13.5 receptions, 118.0 yards, 1.5 touchdowns.

To improve their offense, the Panthers want to add a wrinkle that isn’t new, but more of a throwback. All the way to 2011 ...

	Rec	Yds	TDs
Greg Olsen	45	540	5
Jeremy Shockey	37	455	4
TOTAL	82	995	9

In the four seasons since they were paired with the Panthers, Greg Olsen’s nearly managed to match what he and Jeremy Shockey did together:

	Rec	Yds	TDs
2012	69	843	5
2013	73	816	6
2014	84	1,008	6
2015	77	1,104	7
AVG	75.8	942.8	6

As good as Olsen’s been, imagine if he had some help.

 

TIGHT END TARGETS

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The Panthers use two tight ends on more than half of their plays, and it’s not like they haven’t wanted to compliment Olsen with another pass catcher. They just haven’t found the right one since Shockey. They may in next week’s draft.

This year’s tight end class isn’t great, but it does provide some intriguing options.

The Panthers do have their eyes on Arkansas’ Hunter Henry, who’s easily the position's top-rated talent. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Henry averaged 38.7 receptions for 553.7 yards and three touchdowns in his three seasons with the Razorbacks. He also played in a pro-style offense, another big plus for the Panthers.

If a pass rusher Carolina likes doesn't fall to No. 30, and if they don't have a first-round grade on Henry, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see general manager Dave Gettleman pull off a Devin Funchess-like second-round trade to grab their guy. Once Henry's gone, many draft experts expect a run on tight ends.

Stanford's Austin Hooper, Ohio State’s Nick Vannett, and Western Kentucky’s Tyler Higbee could be fine consolation prizes, but South Carolina’s Jerell Adams may have the highest ceiling.

Adams put up modest numbers in college, but the bland Gamecocks’ offense didn’t afford him many opportunities. After a senior season with 28 catches for 421 yards and three touchdowns, Adams turned heads at February’s combine. His 4.66-second 40-yard dash led tight ends and confirmed the 6-foot-5 former high school basketball star can move. Adams hasn’t had the best hands, but he does have compelling potential.

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PLANNING FOR TOMORROW AND TODAY

 
Like center Ryan Kalil, this is something the Panthers have to think about even if fans don’t want to — Olsen’s 31 and heading into his 10th season. As Carolina continues to build toward sustained success, part of that process is getting a head start on replacing star talent. See: Thomas Davis-Shaq Thompson.

But Gettleman believes anyone drafted in the first three rounds should be able to help immediately, so if he drafts an end early, it wouldn’t be just a planning ahead thing. It would also be about giving defenses something else to think about.

Remember how Olsen — despite being Newton's clear No. 1 option — seemed to find himself wide-open at least once a game last season? During Super Bowl week in San Francisco, I asked surefire Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez how that kept happening.

"When you go against the Carolina offense, you have to stop Cam Newton first and second because he can run and pass. Then you have to stop the run game," Gonzalez said. "After that, you're thinking Greg's the fourth option."

A Pro Bowl tight end as a fourth option and a true No. 2 pass catching as a fifth? Oh, and Kelvin Benjamin will be back. 

Good luck with that, defensive coordinators.