With the addition of Gerald McCoy to what was already a much-improved unit, the new-look Panthers defensive line is now brimming with potential. One interesting question that signing McCoy raises is how the team’s new 3-4 alignments will look.
It’s not hard to figure out which which three players will be up front. Dontari Poe will continue to clog up the middle at nose tackle. He’ll now battle head on with opposing centers without ever having to worry about getting double-teamed thanks to the two guys lining up on either side of him.
The two 3-4 defensive end spots will likely be filled by Kawann Short and Gerald McCoy, who have great size and speed for the five-technique position and will have more chances to get after quarterbacks now that they’re on the same side.
Running against the three-man front of Short, Poe and McCoy is also going to very difficult for opponents. Here’s how it might look on the field:
As for the rest of the front seven, Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson will obviously man the two off-ball linebacker positions. The Panthers will also deploy veteran edge rushers like Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin. First-round pick Brian Burns and fourth-round pick Christian Miller will rotate in behind them, as well as Efe Obada and possibly also Marquis Haynes.
The back end of Carolina’s defense is still at least one man short, but overloading up front in theory should help take some of the pressure off the defensive backs.
If Ron Rivera can make it all fit together, there’s no reason the Panthers can’t have a top-10 defense this year.
