Panthers still need defensive line help. How they’ve addressed it, and who can fill holes
There are just two weeks to go until the 2021 NFL draft.
In advance of the big event, the Carolina Panthers have made it a priority to fill the various needs on the roster through free agency. For almost every player that was lost this offseason, the Panthers added talent to the roster. In some cases, like with defensive end Haason Reddick, that meant bringing in a starter who immediately improves the position group. Some positions, such as the offensive line, added more depth and versatility.
Overall, the defensive line group is young and has depth, but help is still required. One area that the Panthers need to continue to address is defensive tackle. After veterans Kawann Short and Zach Kerr were released this offseason, there has not been a significant addition to replace them. Outside of that, the defensive line has plenty of depth, thanks to some offseason moves, and appears ready to take another step forward under defensive coordinator Phil Snow and recently promoted defensive line coach Frank Okam.
How does the position currently look and what could be added in the draft?
Position overviews:
▪ Corner
▪ Safety
ON THE ROSTER
DE Brian Burns
▪ Burns is set up to have another great season. He is coming off taking a big step forward in Year 2. At times, he was the only player on the Panthers’ line able to generate pressure. Burns had nine sacks in 2020 and 58 tackles.
With Reddick now lining up on the other side, he should have more opportunities with teams likely having to choose who to double-team. Snow took advantage of Burns’ versatility last year, and with the additions to the line this offseason, what he can do will only be expanded.
Pass rusher Haason Reddick
▪ The Panthers have Reddick listed as an outside linebacker on the team roster, but he’s likely to line up in multiple spots as part of a defense last year that had a significant amount of rotation along the line. Reddick played 312 run defense snaps vs. 412 pass rush snaps with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020.
Reddick, 26, has reunited with his college coaching staff at Temple and the hope is that the former first-round pick — signed to a one-year prove-it deal — can replicate some of last year’s success. He had a career-high 12.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 2020 after 7.5 combined sacks his first three years in the NFL. Reddick has a chance to be a great free agent addition for this defense.
DE Yetur Gross-Matos
▪ Gross-Matos, 23, dealt with a variety of injuries during his rookie season. The second-round pick will get more of an opportunity to develop and continue to improve as part of the defensive line rotation.
DE Marquis Haynes
▪ Despite playing only 39.1% of the defensive snaps last year, Haynes came away with four sacks, third-most on the team behind Burns and now-Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Efe Obada. There’s no doubt that he took advantage of opportunities.
Haynes, 27, will likely continue to play a rotational role. He is entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2021 and will have a lot to prove, whether it is to the Panthers or a future team.
DE Austin Larkin
▪ Larkin played in nine games during his first season with the Panthers in 2020 after starting the year on the practice squad. He was a significant special teams contributor, playing 20.4% of snaps, but also saw the field on defense, especially toward the end of the season. Larkin, 26, could have a similar path this year.
DL Frank Herron
▪ Herron, 26, was added to the roster this week. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman went undrafted out of LSU in 2018 and has bounced around teams. He may have an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster.
DL Morgan Fox
▪ With Obada joining the Bills, as so many former Panthers have, this offseason, the Panthers needed a versatile presence on the defensive line. Fox will provide that.
The 26-year old defensive lineman can rush from the interior and perimeter and will be a key rotational player. Fox’s best season by far came in 2020, finishing with six sacks, 27 tackles and nine quarterback hits playing next to the Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.
DT Derrick Brown
▪ Last year’s first-round pick is coming off a solid season despite not having Short next to him for most of the year due to a shoulder injury.
Brown, 23, continued to improve as the season went on and finished tied for the third-most passes defensed by a defensive tackle (4). He also had eight tackles for loss, tied for ninth-most among DTs. Year 2 in Snow’s defense could be a big step for Brown.
DT Bravvion Roy
▪ A sixth-round pick in 2020, Roy started nine games in 2020, partly due to injury. He is someone who should continue to improve this year and will likely continue to have a significant rotational role in the middle of the line.
DT Mike Panasiuk
▪ Panasiuk was signed to the practice squad in October 2020 and spent the rest of the year there. The former Michigan State tackle provides depth.
DT P.J. Johnson
▪ Johnson was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. He has spent time with a variety of teams and at 6-foot-4, 335 pounds, he provides valuable depth for the interior of the line.
PANTHERS DRAFT POSSIBILITIES
The Panthers could still potentially add to this group with a free agent signing before or after the draft. At the start of the offseason, general manager Scott Fitterer had expressed some interest to Short in bringing him back if he did not find a team elsewhere. Short remains unsigned, but at 32-years old and his last two seasons ending with major shoulder injuries, he would not be a long-term answer even if he were to return at some point.
While the Panthers will likely address the offensive side of the ball after going all defense last year, cornerback and defensive tackle are two positions that the team is expected to add to in the draft.
“I do believe on building (a team) on both sides of the line, offensive line, defensive line,” Fitterer said this month. “I think corner is going to be a position that we look at as well. That’s one thing that’s talked about an awful lot, but just overall playmakers. We’re looking at speeds of this team, and that’s what we’re really looking to do. But the bottom line is, we have to shore up the offensive and defensive line.”
Here are some draft possibilities at three technique defensive tackle:
▪ Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech (6-foot-3, 284-pounds)
Williams was a two-year starter in college, playing both defensive tackle and defensive end. He had 19 tackles for loss and 10 sacks over the last two seasons.
He is a player with potential, but room to grow. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein describes Williams as having “twitchy power and short-area athleticism, but needs to continue the development of working the hands and feet as one to unlock his potential.” Pass rush is an area to work on, but he could be a versatile three-technique tackle in the NFL. (Potential Day 2 pick).
▪ Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA (6-foot-2, 280-pounds)
He finished with a career-high four sacks in seven games in 2020 and earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors. Odighizuwa was a three-year starter at UCLA playing nose tackle. He saw snaps from a variety of positions, from zero- to five-technique. A high school wrestler, Odighizuwa has the potential to be disruptive in the NFL. He played at the Senior Bowl for the National Team against the Panthers’ staff. (Potential early Day 3 pick).
▪ Jonathan Marshall, Arkansas (6-foot-3, 310-pounds)
Marshall was only a one-year starter for the Razorbacks, starting all 10 games in 2020 and finishing with 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. He finished his college career with just 1.5 sacks.
Zierlein describes him as struggling at times when asked to play nose tackle, but that the former team capain has “adequate power, explosive hips and quick feet, making him much better suited to play three-technique in a penetrating front.” He could be a solid backup option. (Potential late Day 3 pick).
BOTTOM LINE
The Panthers haven’t made a secret about needing to continue to upgrade both lines this offseason. After investing three selections, including a first-round pick, in the defensive lie last year, there are other needs that may be addressed first, but it’s hard to see the team leaving the draft without adding to the group in some way. Talent has been added to many positions on the defense over the last year, but continuing to address defensive tackle should be high on the list of priorities.
If Carolina is able to add a cornerback and along the defensive line in two weeks, the defense will have all the tools to take the necessary next step in 2021.
