Other than a good quarterback, one of the most important keys to a successful offense in football is the offensive line and how well the unit gels.
In 2019, the Panthers offensive line had mostly bad results, but it did help lead the way for Christian McCaffrey to put together an all-time great season for a running back, but the patchwork unit also allowed 58 sacks, tied for the most in the league and gave up 102 quarterback hits.
A lot of those struggles can be attributed to a constant reshuffling of the lineup at left tackle and the guard positions last year due to injury.
Carolina is hoping to find more consistency in 2020, after acquiring left tackle Russell Okung, and signing guards Michael Schofield and John Miller this offseason to help revamp the line.
"The more you play with a person, the most comfortable you are," center Matt Paradis said. "When there are injuries you have to step up that communication and get some extras reps in some certain things so you can grow at a faster rate. Injuries are bound to happen, it's just the sport we play. … But it is what it is and you just have to work through it."
As one of Carolina's big offseason signings in 2019, Paradis played in all 16 games last year, but had a career-low 63.5 rating according to Pro Football Focus, and gave up the most quarterback pressures in the league for a center. They had him rated as one worst centers in the league last year.
But the additions of Okung and Schofield should bring Paradis more familiarity with the three having played together on the Denver Broncos Super Bowl-winning team in 2015.
"We've got a great room, guys are getting along well and we're going to be physical," Paradis said. "We've got a lot of strong, big dudes who can move.
"We've got a group that is working hard and we're ready to go out there and dominate."
Alongside Paradis, the Panthers will have fresh faces at both guard positions after trading Pro Bowl right guard Trai Turner for Okung and left guard Greg Van Roten departing for the New York Jets in free agency.
Schofield has the experience, but second-year lineman Dennis Daley has been the one getting starting reps so far at left guard.
Daley, a sixth-round pick in 2019 out of South Carolina, started nine games as a rookie filling in for injured players and rotating between left tackle and guard.
With Okung hoping to solidify left tackle after four different starters at that spot last year, Daley will be able to focus more on being a guard, a position he never played until joining the Panthers.
"At tackle compared to guard you have to be more grounded and quick, and get hands-on now and know how to move inside and block way bigger bodies compared to defensive end," Daley said. "You just have to be more stout and grounded at guard."
At right guard, the Panthers will be relying on sixth-yeard pro, John Miller, who signed with Carolina this offseason.
Head coach Matt Rhule already has high praise for Miller, saying he's exactly the type of player they want on the team.
"He shows up every day, he works, he doesn't say much, he just works every day and gets better and better," Rhule said. "He's got a great attitude, he's my kind of us and he's one of us. John Miller has had a great camp."
It'll be tough to replace a five-time Pro Bowler in Turner, but Miller has started 60 games while playing for the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, and is already helping grow the mentality of Carolina's team.
"I think we're growing as a team each and every day," Miller said. "We just want to get one percent better. Myself, personally I take two things I want to get better at and I focus on those two things. Whether it's getting my hand placement better or another step in the run game.
“We're building a brand here and I think right now as a team we're trying to get better each and every day."
With all the new faces, right tackle Taylor Moton is now the longest-tenured offensive lineman on the roster and entering just his third season as the team's starting right tackle, Moton won't only be relied on as one of the team's leaders, but he's entering a contract year and many expect the Panthers to give him a big extension.
Moton has a very solid 82.6 grade over the last three years according to Pro Football Focus.
"I have a lot of trust in my agent and me jumping into that to me is like I don't trust what he's doing," Moton said. "I know that I'm 100 percent focused on football, being the best Taylor Moton offensive tackle I can be. I'm in camp and that's what I'm worried about right now, day in and day out the process of football.
"I've been told my whole life and grinding and saying that I do what I'm supposed to do, I focus on taking things one day at a time and everything else will fall into place. That's part of trusting the process. I'd like to think I'm a very process-oriented person that's all I'm focused on is the next day and focused on football right now."
That focus will be needed because with the new "brand" that Rhule is bringing to Carolina, practices have been a lot faster with much more energy.
"As an offensive lineman, it gets us in better shape, which is always good," Moton said. "Especially because we're guys up front out there the entire drive we don't get subbed. I think it's really good to make sure we're the best-conditioned team especially when it comes down to the crunch time of the 4th quarter that we're out there and we've got 100 percent focus because we know we're in the better shape."
The offensive line is also adjusting to new offensive line coach, Pat Meyer, who spent the last three years in the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers, coaching Okung and Schofield.
"I love working with him, and I'm excited to get to know him even better," Moton said. "He's just like all the other coaches I see around, they demand the best out of the players. So I'm going to give him my best day-in and day-out."
Not only does the offensive line have to mesh with each other to see success, but they also have to communicate with the rest of the offensive weapons.
McCaffrey thinks that communication is coming together at a good pace.
"I don't think there's a set date (to gel)," he said. "It's our job to get chemistry as quickly as possible. Obviously, we've built a lot of chemistry in the last few weeks but I think it's our job right now to not only build the chemistry but do it at an elite level all the time. ...
"The communication has been great and I love their attitude. I think we have such a gritty O-line and they love what they do. As a runner, that gets me excited. I'm excited to run behind them."
The offensive line won't get all the attention as the quarterback and stars like McCaffrey, but their play will certainly play a large role in how Carolina's season goes.
“The expectation is for us to dominate every single drill that we possibly can,” Okung said. “Whatever Matt (Rhule) says, it’s going to go. It feels like the guys are rallying behind that but we have a lot of work to do. A lot of work to do. Every day we’re going to keep chipping away.”