Why Panthers’ Terrace Marshall Jr. will play vs. the 49ers after missing two games
After two weeks of watching from the sideline, 2021 second-round pick Terrace Marshall Jr. will return to the Panthers’ lineup.
The Panthers ruled out fellow wideout Laviska Shenault (hamstring) on Friday. But Panthers head coach Matt Rhule was quick to point out after practice that Marshall would have been active against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. regardless of Shenault’s status.
“Terrace is at the point now where he would have been active anyway,” Rhule said. “He’s had like three great weeks and I think he’s right where he needs to be, so I’m excited to see him play.”
Marshall was a healthy scratch for the Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints and last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Shenault and veteran Rashard Higgins played over Marshall in both games.
Through 14 career games, Marshall has caught 17 of 30 targets for 138 yards. He has played only 428 career snaps on offense.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound wideout offers a bigger, thicker body in the receiving game than starters like Robbie Anderson and D.J. Moore. Clearly, the Panthers were hoping Marshall would play up to his size when they selected him on Day 2 of last year’s draft. The LSU alum has averaged just 8.1 yards per catch.
Marshall, who just turned 22 in June, was seen a standout prospect heading into last year’s draft. So far, his output has been underwhelming.
“I think for Terrace, he’s a big, powerful, physical receiver, and when he leans into that and plays that way, that’s what allows him to be special,” Rhule said. “Being a physical guy at the point of contact, being physical on his releases, being a great blocker, being physical at the catch point. I think those things come with reps. It’s like we all want everything ready-made, and I get it, but those things come with reps.”
The Panthers decided to give Marshall a step back so he could take a step forward.
“I think with young players, they put a lot of pressure on themselves,” Rhule said. “And I tell all of the young guys, you have really three years in this league as a young player to develop skills. You have talent but talent has to be turned into skill. If you develop skills -- both like your preparation and professionalism, but also like your position skills — then you can play in years four, five, six, seven and eight or whatever it is.”
With Marshall returning to the lineup, he will likely back up Anderson and Moore, along with Shi Smith. Marshall could be used as an outside receiver in three-receiver sets, allowing Moore to move inside to attack safeties and nickel corners.
Along with Marshall, another young player could be added to the fold against the 49ers. Running back Raheem Blackshear, who was signed off the Buffalo Bills practice squad last month, could be active for the first time on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. Rhule said if Blackshear is active, he will return kickoffs in place of Shenault.
Blackshear, a Virginia Tech alum, was an undrafted free agent in March. He ran for 760 rushing yards and six touchdowns during his final year with the Hokies.
This story was originally published October 7, 2022 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Why Panthers’ Terrace Marshall Jr. will play vs. the 49ers after missing two games."
