Panthers Position Preview: Edge Defenders

The Edge Rushers Were Lacking in Carolina

Last season on the outside was a bit difficult one for the Carolina Panthers. While the team was able to get pressure up the middle from Kawaan Short and Dontari Poe, the edge rushers were a much different story.

Defensive end Mario Addison was the team’s sack leader this past season, registering just nine sacks for the team.

You read that correctly, No Panthers player registered more than 10 sacks for the season. With 2019 on the way, the Panthers needed to get younger on edge, especially since the team is transitioning to a hybrid of a 3-4 and a 4-3 scheme, they will need versatile players as well.

The Panthers Got Younger on The Outside, But at a Cost

The Panthers did get younger on the outside edge, but it did come at a cost.

Panthers legend Julius Peppers, who was second on the team in sacks with five, retired early in 2019, leaving the depth in Carolina severely lacking on the outside.

The retirement of Peppers, while unfortunate, did allow the Panthers to finally find a viable young replacement on the outside, as the youngest player on the roster playing the outside edge was 29 years old.

Carolina Looked For Edge Rushers During the Offseason

The first thing the Panthers did was get someone capable of playing both with his hand in the dirt and standing upright by signing former Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders edge rusher Bruce Irvin.

While Irvin isn’t necessarily the glamorous option at this position, he is a solid acquisition who will provide some sack production. In all but one season in the league, Irvin registered at least five sacks.

The next thing the Panthers did was use two of its draft picks on edge rushers during the 2019 NFL Draft: Brian Burns from Florida State and Christian Miller from Alabama.

Burns was a solid but raw edge rusher with the Seminoles, registering 8.5 sacks his freshman year, then 4.5 sacks his sophomore season and finally 10 sacks his final season.

Burns did manage to put on some more size before the Combine but the question is will be enough to make a dent on players who are larger than the ones he faced in college.

As for Miller, he spent much of his first three seasons sitting behind others. During his senior season, however, Miller exploded onto the scene, registering eight sacks his senior season. The real question is: was that season a fluke or a sign of what Miller is capable of?

Overall Prediction for the Edge Rushers?

Most offensive lines are going to be committed to stopping the plethora of interior lineman, with Short, Poe and Gerald McCoy all manning the interior of the defensive line.

Will the Panthers be able to capitalize on all the extra attention on the interior, we are going to say yes. I’m gonna take it a step further.

I think Burns is a solid prospect and will be the team leader in sacks and Irvin will get his first 10 sack season in the NFL.

I know it’s a bold prediction, but with head coach Ron Rivera taking the reigns as defensive play-caller, it’s possible he will return to the form he had when he had Shawn Merriman and Shaun Phillips on the edge in San Diego.