The annual "NFL Honors" awards show will take place Saturday, and Panthers.com is awarding honors of its own leading up to it. Below are our offensive winners.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tight end Greg Olsen
He was the offense's most consistently productive player in 2014. Olsen finished with a team-leading 84 catches and tied for the team lead with 1,008 receiving yards to go along with six touchdowns.
When the Panthers needed a clutch catch, Olsen routinely delivered. He made strides as a blocker as well, helping open lanes in the run game and pitching in to help Carolina's injury-plagued offensive line protect quarterback Cam Newton.
His hard work was rewarded, earning his first career Pro Bowl selection.
Honorable mention: Quarterback Cam Newton, running back Jonathan Stewart
Newton battled through a challenging season individually. Injuries to his ankle, ribs and back kept him from truly settling into a groove, but he still finished with 3,127 passing yards and 18 touchdown passes to go along with 539 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
After battling injuries of his own the previous two years, Stewart flourished as Carolina's lead back late in 2014. He finished with 809 rushing yards and was the NFL's second-leading rusher during the last five weeks of the season.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin
The Panthers' first-round draft choice in 2014 almost instantly became the team's No. 1 wide receiver, and while there were spells of inconsistency, Benjamin delivered in a big way.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound wide receiver led Carolina with nine total touchdowns. He tied Olsen for the team lead in receiving with 1,008 yards on 73 catches.
Honorable mention: Guards Trai Turner, Andrew Norwell
Like Benjamin, Turner and Norwell were critical pieces of the offensive puzzle. Turner, a third-round draft choice, and Norwell, an undrafted free agent, formed a powerful guard tandem that helped the Panthers regain control of the line of scrimmage late in the year.
UNSUNG HERO: Center Ryan Kalil
Kalil was the mainstay on an offensive line that became all too familiar with change. He held the unit together when injuries forced the Panthers to start eight different offensive line combinations. Kalil was the only lineman to start all 16 games, and his poise and leadership were essential with so much inexperience playing alongside him.
