Is Terrace Marshall Jr. Finally Turning the Corner?

The Carolina Panthers' fourth-year receiver finished the offseason workout program on a strong note.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Expectations were extremely high for wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. after being selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Three years in and Carolina is still waiting for a return on that investment.

In 34 career games, Marshall has hauled in 64 receptions for 767 yards and a touchdown. That's the type of production you would expect on a yearly basis (with maybe a few more TDs) from a second round pick, not a combined stat line over his first three years in the league.

With a new coaching staff entering the building yet again, it gives Marshall a clean slate to work with. He dealt with some injuries early on in his career and it felt like the Panthers didn't really know how to use him while Matt Rhule was in charge which is odd considering his college offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, called the offense during his first year in the league.

Adding Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, and Jonathan Mingo to that room over the last two offseasons has seemingly pushed Marshall deep down the depth chart. Can he climb his way back up and have a role here in Carolina? It's possible.

In his final press conference before the team's summer break, head coach Dave Canales briefly mentioned that Marshall has had a "fantastic two weeks" of practice. Make of that what you will, considering we've seen this show with 88 more than once throughout his career. He has a strong showing in training camp or the preseason, only for him to be forgotten about by Week 3.

But who knows? Maybe this is the year Marshall finally figures it out. Canales certainly hopes so as it would make the receiving corps just a tad bit deeper.

“He’s been reliable. He’s doing what we’re asking him to do. He’s running the right routes. You can see that this is a big man with speed in there and I think that the more comfortable he’s getting with our system, with our concepts, the faster he looks. I’m really curious to see where he takes that this year. I know he’s had a couple of years here and hasn’t really produced to the potential of what people might think, but hopefully we’ll create an environment where he’s able to get onto our offense and show us something.”

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