Carolina Panthers: Key players to watch against Washington Redskins

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CHARLOTTE, NC – OCTOBER 10: Luke Kuechly #59 and teammate Thomas Davis #58 of the Carolina Panthers react after a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 3rd quarter during their game at Bank of America Stadium on October 10, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Thomas Davis

The return of Thomas Davis is certainly one of the top storylines this week and fans will likely be keeping a close eye on how the veteran linebacker plays. Davis missed the first four games of the season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

However, now that he is eligible to return the question becomes how he fits into this defense. The Panthers have primarily run a nickel defense over the years with Luke Kuechly and Davis. That trend continued to start this season with Kuechly and Shaq Thompson.

The issue is that Thompson has played pretty well with 22 total tackles and one sack. The other issue is that Davis is towards the end of his career and Thompson is likely the future at this position. So if the defense doesn’t shift to playing more of their 4-3 base, the coaching staff will need to figure out a way to make sure both Thompson and Davis get enough playing time.

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