Carolina coach Ron Rivera emphasized at the end of the 2016 season his offense needed to evolve away from the zone-read and find better ways to protect his franchise QB. The team's offseason moves reinforce that philosophy. The Panthers invested in the offensive line by signing Matt Kalil to a $55 million deal in March (time will tell if this was wise) and drafting Taylor Moton in the second-round. More importantly, they diversified their skill positions with a pair of rookie dynamos in Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel to rejuvenate their attack.