Is This the Year Bossier’s Terrace Marshall Jr Breaks Out?

Back in 2018, Bossier City's Terrace Marshall Jr. was one of the hottest wide receiving prospects in the country. At Parkway High School, he was the Shreveport Times' Male Athlete of the Year, he was named an Under Armour All-American and was a 5-Star Recruit before commiting to LSU.

At LSU, he was a stud - even if he was sometimes forgotten behind the duo of Ja'Marr Chase & Justin Jefferson. In 32 career games as an LSU Tiger, he had 106 receptions for 1594 yards and 23 Touchdowns. Not too shabby. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 2nd round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

And while there was high hopes and expectations, Terrace Marshall Jr. hasn't yet delivered at the pro level. In 3 years as a pro, Marshall only has 64 receptions for 767 yards and 1 touchdown.

Despite a drama filled and less than fulfilling start to his pro career, there's a sense that Marshall may finally have his break out moment during the 2024 season.

Is This Terrace Marshall Jr's Year?

There are reports that Terrace Marshall wanted out of Carolina. And let's face it, who could blame him? The team has been subpar, they've run through coaches like crazy. Not exactly a stable environment to start your career in.

But, the Panthers have gone through great lengths to bring some stability to the team. They hired long time coordinator and offensive guru Dave Canales as head coach. They're hoping his experience on the offensive side of the ball will bring some stability to a team that struggled to score points. The Defense has been good, but that doesn't matter if you're offense is constantly turning the ball over and not scoring.

Plus, according to all reports from Training Camp (which started for all NFL teams last week), the offense looks good. In fact, according to all reports, Terrace Marshall has been one of the stars of the first week of training camp.

Dave Canales is praising both Marshall & Jonathan Mingo - saying they both are showing who they are. All the reporters who cover the Panthers are praising Marshall. With that said, he's shown flashes in the preseason before, but none of that has quite worked out.

What Would Be Considered a 'Good Year' for Terrace Marshall Jr.?

As good as Marshall is looking during the summer workouts and as awesome as it would be for him to join his fellow LSU alumni Chase & Jefferson at the top of the NFL receiving list, let's be realistic. The Panthers are still rebuilding. They are still trying to figure things out. You have a first time Head Coach trying to figure things out. Nobody is sold on whether or not Bryce Young can be the guy. There's a lot of obstacles and doubts surrounding this team.

BUT, that doesn't mean that Marshall can't see some individual success and get his career back on track. So far, his best season as a pro was the 2022 season. He had 28 receptions for 490 yards and his only career Touchdown. I think I reasonable expectation for him would be to get into that 60+ reception range for around 700-800 yards and a few touchdowns. He can't throw himself the ball, but if he can manage to stay on the field and make the most out of his opportunities, he should be able to stay playing professional ball.

He's in a contract year. Another bad year could signal the end of his time on an NFL roster. Which would suck. The kid has been a star at every level of football except the NFL. And he wasn't exactly drafted into the best situation. But, with a little dedication and good luck, he may just show that he is, in fact, the guy we thought/hoped he was.