Carolina Panthers: The Long and Short of the Defensive Line
The Carolina Panthers need to make improvements to their defensive ends while holding on to their defensive tackles.
With the Carolina Panthers’ season over, the post-mortem continues. Today brings us away from the offense and over to the other side of the ball. This is the defensive line. The defensive line is critical to the Carolina Panthers. It is one of the reasons that they decided to not bring Josh Norman back last year. It is also one of the reasons that the Panthers drafted a defensive lineman in the first round.
From the defensive line flows everything else. They keep pressure on the quarterback and they keep blockers off of the Panthers’ star linebackers.
So if the heart of the defense is the line, the heart of the line is the defensive tackle position. The Panthers drafted their two mainstays right away in the Dave Gettleman era. Star Lotulelei was a first rounder and Kawann Short was taken in the second round. Short is finally off his rookie deal while Lotulelei was locked into one more year.
More from Carolina Panthers
- Carolina Panthers: Secondary battles to watch in training camp 2020
- Carolina Panthers: 2020 training camp kicks off on Tuesday
- Carolina Panthers: Familiarity should help offense in 2020
- Carolina Panthers: Better or worse at running back in 2020?
- Carolina Panthers: Ranking the NFC South quarterback rooms
Short is generally considered the better player. He led the team in sacks in 2015. However he is also looking for lots of money. The Panthers should have lots of money, but Short could command something close to quarterback money to bring back. That’s likely eighteen million dollars a year. The Panthers would not make a deal for seventeen million earlier this year.
If Short turns down any negotiated extension, the team could slap the franchise tag on him for a year. That would lower his number down to say sixteen million. There is always the possibility that a player will refuse to sign the franchise tender as leverage or protest. If it goes that far, there is a chance that Short could attempt to sit out the season.
Any Short deal is critical for the Panthers because they will have to renegotiate with Lotulelei next season. Lotulelei will likely want something close to Short’s contract number. This is why the Panthers drafted Vernon Butler. They wanted the next guy in the pipeline if they could not retain Short (near term) or Lotulelei.
The Panthers do have money under the cap unlike their situation last year. Keeping Short would be less onerous than keeping Norman last year.
The next issue is the defensive end spot. The Panthers are in desperate need of an every down defensive end. Mario Addison (free agent) is a pass rush specialist. Kony Ealy also seems best for passing situations. Charles Johnson is getting older (and is a free agent to boot). The Panthers cannot continue to go into games with Wes Horton as the starting lineman.
Ideally the Panthers would bring Johnson back to do the early down stuff. Addison will likely become more expensive than the Panthers can justify to bring him back. The Panthers will also not be in position to draft a big defensive end in the draft. Myles Garrett will be gone well before pick eight. My pipe dream of getting Solomon Thomas from Stanford in the second round was just that. I like Thomas enough to take him at eight, but the Panthers may have bigger concerns.
More from Old North Banter
- Carolina Panthers: Secondary battles to watch in training camp 2020
- Carolina Panthers: 2020 training camp kicks off on Tuesday
- NC Colleges Provide Coronavirus Results from Athletic Departments
- Court alleges Zion’s Stepfather received $400k
- UNC Football gets Commitment from Top Cornerback
The free agent market does not offer a lot of solutions here. The biggest get would be Calais Campbell from the Cardinals. Campbell is making eleven million this year and likely will be looking for a little more in free agency. He also has a history of low hits against quarterbacks.
If the Panthers have not given up on the idea of grooming Ealy, then the next option might be Chris Long of the New England Patriots. Long gives you a player who can do the things the Panthers are missing on first and second downs. He may a be a step slower these days, but he still works hard.
I anticipate the Panthers bringing back the same defensive tackle group that they had. I think they lose Addison in free agency, keep Johnson, and add another end. I hope that end is an improvement and not just a guy to replace Addison’s snaps.