Carolina Panthers: Predicting the 53-man roster entering training camp

Defensive Line

Starters: Julius Peppers (DE), Kawann Short (DT), Dontari Poe (DT), Mario Addison (DE)

Bench: Daeshon Hall (DE), Bryan Cox Jr. (DE), Marquis Haynes (DE), Vernon Butler (DT), Kyle Love (DT)

The Carolina Panthers lost their starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei in free agency and while it isn’t always the case that a team would upgrade by losing a starter, the Panthers may have done just that. The team was able to sign free agent Dontari Poe, who has made the Pro Bowl two times in his career, and recently played for the Atlanta Falcons.

The combination of Poe and Kawann Short in the middle, with veteran pass rushers Mario Addison and Julius Peppers on the outside has the potential to be one of the better pass rushing lines in the NFL. However, the coaching staff must find depth at the defensive end position.

Both starting defensive ends are on the wrong side of 30 and one of the reasons they were as dominant as they were last year was the ability to give them rest throughout the course of the game. There is going to be a training camp battle for the three backup defensive end positions and right now Wes Horton is the odd man out. The potential of the three other players above should be enough for the coaching staff to keep them on the roster.