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CHARLOTTE Trai Turner Color Rush Jersey , N.C. (AP) — Panthers quarterback Cam Newton heads to his hometown of Atlanta this weekend without his favorite target Greg Olsen and potentially three starting offensive linemen to protect him.That might concern some QBs, but the league’s 2015 MVP is taking it stride.“My question back to you is, does it really matter?” Newton said matter-of-factly. “If it is concerning I still have to do something; if it’s not concerning I still have to do whatever I’ve got to do anyway. In the history of the National Football League, I don’t think there have been 32 teams that have not had injuries. It’s an unforgiving game and you have to roll with the punches and make due with whatever hand you’re given.”Still, it’s far from an ideal scenario for the Panthers, who have enough off-the-field distractions with players and coaches worrying about making sure their families are safe with Hurricane Florence approaching the East coast.Panthers coach Ron Rivera said owner David Tepper is helping develop contingency plans, but at this point the team is still waiting to get a better idea of what path the hurricane takes.On the field the Panthers will be replacing Olsen, a three-time 1,000-yard receiver, for the second straight year after he re-broke his foot in a 16-8 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.However Taylor Moton Jersey , the Panthers have enough faith in rookie Ian Thomas and backup Chris Manhertz — who have caught five NFL passes between them — that decided against signing a free agent tight end.Newton understands why, saying Thomas has the potential to be a “premiere tight end” in the NFL.“His expectations are high and I talked to him and told him today, ‘Listen, you don’t have any room for error,'” Newton said. “We know who you are replacing — and the shoes you are filling are extremely big. But, I wouldn’t be wasting my time though (talking about him) if I didn’t believe in his skillset.”The reality is replacing Olsen maybe be far less concerning for the Panthers than finding enough suitable bodies to protect their franchise quarterback.Carolina is deeper than they have been in years at wide receiver with the likes of Devin Funchess, Torrey Smith, Jarius Wright and rookie D.J. Moore, as well as running back Christian McCaffrey coming out of the backfield — so there are plenty of options in the passing game.The offensive line doesn’t have that same depth, prompting the Panthers to trade for Corey Robinson before the season opener and sign eight-year veteran offensive tackle Chris Clark on Wednesday. Clark replaces second-team All-Pro right tackle Daryl Williams Wes Horton Color Rush Jersey , who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a knee injury. He joins left tackle Matt Kalil, who was put on IR before Week 1.On top of that, the Panthers learned Wednesday that they might be without three-time Pro Bowl right guard Trai Turner as well against the Falcons.Turner entered the stadium Wednesday morning feeling ill and was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol. He cannot practice or play until he’s cleared.All of that means major shuffling on the offensive line for Carolina.Rivera said he isn’t sure who’ll start at right guard or right tackle and the team will continue to work different combinations in practice. The Panthers will consider Clark and Amini Silatolu and Corey Robinson this week at right tackle, while Tyler Larsen, Brendan Mahon or Silatolu could end up at left guard, but he added anything is possible.“We have a combination of things to go through,” Rivera said. “Just like last week we won’t really know where are headed until after Friday.”The Panthers aren’t going to get a whole lot of sympathy from the Falcons, who are dealing with their own injuries following the losses of linebacker Deion Jones and safety Keanu Neal. We all know the Panthers need to upgrade the left tackle and defensive end positions heading into 2019. Mike Adams and Eric Reid are going to be free agents, so both safety positions need to get addressed. Carolina could also add some quality and depth at cornerback as well. But you already know about those roster gaps. I’m here to add another one: Punt returner!Yes, I just said punt returner. Just humor me on this one Stephen Curry Jersey , okay? The Panthers’ weak return game has bugged me for the past couple of seasons and I’m probably not alone in feeling this way. Now is as good of a time as any to get this off my chest. The Panthers return game has been objectively bad over the last two seasons. With data taken from ESPN, Carolina’s average of 6.9 yards per punt return in 2017 and 2018 is among the bottom of the NFL:Worst yards per punt return, 2017-2018RankTeamReturnsYardsYards/ReturnRankTeamReturnsYardsYards/ReturnTo put that in context, five teams have averaged over 10 yards per return over the last two seasons - the Cleveland Browns (10.7), Pittsburgh Steelers (10.6), Washington (10.5), Houston Texans (10.5), and Arizona Cardinals (10.1). On average, the better punt returning teams have given their offenses an extra three-plus yards of starting field position than the Panthers over the last two years. That’s not necessarily going to be the difference between winning and losing most weeks, but according to the cliche police football is “a game of inches” and every yard helps. Part of the problem is the Panthers have cycled through a number of different returners since Ted Ginn’s departure after the 2016 season. Since then following players have all returned punts for Carolina: Christian McCaffrey (22) Shaq Thompson Color Rush Jersey , Kaelin Clay (17), Damiere Byrd (12), Kenjon Barner (7), and D.J. Moore (6). That’s five different returners over the last 32 games. CMC’s too valuable now to return punts and D.J. Moore is probably in the same boat. Kaelin Clay’s gone. Byrd and Barner will be free agents. So what’s the solution?As for me, I’m hoping “Byrd is the word” in 2019. He’s a restricted free agent and was performing well before going on injured reserve in late November.I’d expect the Panthers bring him back next year. In his brief 17-game career Byrd has returned 12 punts for 113 yards, or a healthy 9.4 yards per attempt. It’s a small sample size but he has definitely shown potential. If it’s not Byrd next year then brace yourselves for the third straight season of rotating returners and more of the same sub-par results.