After watching Cam Newton get beat up for several seasons, the Carolina Panthers finally got serious about fixing their offensive line this year.
The first major move the team made in free agency was a sweet deal struck with former Denver Broncos center Matt Paradis. He will replace Ryan Kalil at center and should even prove to be an upgrade. In the second round of the draft, the Panthers went one further and selected Greg Little out of Ole Miss. He projects to be their long-term starter at left tackle.
They haven’t proven anything yet, but on paper this is one of the most improved units around the league. In fact, Pro Football Focus has Carolina’s new-look front line ranked No. 10 going into 2019.
PFF is very high on the Paradis signing and expects strong years from right guard Trai Turner and right tackle Taylor Moton. Their question marks are about Little and Daryl Williams.
“Keeping the Panthers at No. 10 on this preseason list are the question marks tied to Daryl Williams and rookie offensive tackle Greg Little. . . The rookie learning curve is steep for tackles, but if Little can exceed expectations and Williams can learn to thrive at guard, Carolina will be on their way up in PFF’s offensive line rankings in coming months.”
We don’t know exactly who will be starting come September. For what it’s worth, PFF has Williams projected at left guard and Little at left tackle. If that’s the case and both play well then this could definitely be a legitimate top 10 line.
