The Carolina Panthers head into the 2020 season with about as much uncertainty hanging over them as any team in the NFL. They experienced far more roster turnover than anyone else this offseason and will be fielding the league’s youngest starting defense in a decade.
Here are four key questions about this unit going into 2020.
Did they do enough to stop the run?
There were a lot of reasons why the Panthers finished 5-11 last season. The biggest one was their total failure to stop the run. Carolina allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game, the most touchdowns and finished ranked No. 32 in rushing defense DVOA.
Passing may be more efficient than running, but as long as opponents know you can’t stop it, they’re going to run the ball down your throat.
Scheme will play a huge role, here. This group never really had the personnel to pull off the 3-4 Ron Rivera tried last year. This season, defensive coordinator Phil Snow is switching back to a 4-3 base scheme, which should help at least in theory.
However, personnel is just as important and we don’t know yet if they’ve done enough to address this issue. Using a top-10 pick on a run-stuffing defensive tackle in Derrick Brown should also improve this part of the game. Getting Kawann Short back healthy doesn’t hurt, either. However, they’re only two men and effectively defending the run requires a lot more than just plugging up the middle of the line of scrimmage.
This run defense will be put to the test early. The Raiders are one of the NFL’s most run-happy teams and Josh Jacobs is one of the best at what he does.
Is the defensive line rotation deep enough?
Yesterday, Snow told reporters that he plans to utilize an eight-man rotation for the defensive line this season.
On the edge, that group will consist of Brian Burns, Yetur Gross-Matos, Stephen Weatherly and Marquis Haynes. It remains to be seen what roles Efe Obada and Shareef Miller will be filling. Inside, Snow says he’ll be rotating Short, Brown, Zach Kerr and Bravvion Roy.
We are expecting a breakout year from Burns, who was limited by a wrist injury and questionable coaching decisions as a rookie. We also know that Short is a top-10 interior lineman when he’s healthy. While there’s plenty of potential to go around, the rest of these DL are far from sure things. If the Panthers need more help up front, it should become apparent right away.
What’s the backup plan at middle linebacker?
Luke Kuehly was the best off-ball linebacker of this generation. Now that he’s retired, the Panthers have a gaping hole to fill in the heart of their defense. First up, the team will be starting former Raider Tahir Whitehead at Kuechly’s old spot.
Whitehead has a lot of experience in the NFL, having appeared in 125 career regular season games. He’s played middle linebacker before and also has worked with coach Matt Rhule during his time at Temple. He should be able to run the defense and communicate effectively.
The question here is if Whitehead’s game will be good enough to keep him on the field. Over the last two seasons, no linebacker has given up more passing touchdowns. One look at this coverage numbers says a lot.
Yikes.
If Whitehead winds up getting keyed-in on by every offensive playcaller the Panthers face, then Matt Rhule may need to make a change.
Just how bad will the cornerbacks be?
The Panthers have a strange dynamic going on in their defensive backfield this year. Safety may be their strongest position on defense, with Myles Hartsfield and Sam Franklin bringing in some extra unexpected depth behind Tre Boston, Jeremy Chinn and Juston Burris.
You need strong cover corners to compete in the modern NFL though and this Carolina group might be thinner at this position than any other team.
At the moment, Donte Jackon and rookie Troy Pride Jr. will likely be starting outside. We don’t know who will be defending the slot as of yet and that’s probably not a good sign of things to come.
General manager Marty Hurney has tried to bring in more help late in the offseason by bringing in Eli Apple and Rasul Douglas. However, Apple will start the year on injured reserve and Douglas has a lot of catching up to do after just joining the team on Sunday.
There’s always a chance that these cornerbacks will surprise and play above what seem to be low expectations all around. Panthers fans had better hope that’s the case, or else it’s going to be a long year no matter what else happens with this team.
