Luke Kuechly’s sudden retirement left an enormous hole in the heart of the Carolina Panthers defense. Now at last we have an answer to the question of who will be taking his place as the team’s starting middle linebacker. Speaking with reporters during a Zoom call on Wednesday afternoon, defensive coordinator Phil Snow said Tahir Whitehead will start at that spot.
Shaq Thompson (who recently signed a four-year contract extension) is the heir apparent to take over in the long run, but for now the team will lean on Whitehead’s experience. He has been in the NFL three years longer than Thompson and has played in 55 more regular season games. Whitehead has also previously worked with coach Matt Rhule during his college career at Temple.
While he has the edge in experience, one potential downfall for Whitehead is his pass coverage. Last season with the Raiders, he allowed a gruesome 140.4 passer rating when targeted, up from 119.2 the year before. During those two years, he allowed a total of 10 touchdowns and 795 yards after the catch.
Thompson can’t compare to Kuechly in this area, but he is better than Whitehead at least. If the older linebacker struggles in coverage too much we may see Thompson take his place before the 2020 season ends.
