Carolina Panthers: Defense remains biggest question mark

The Carolina Panthers are closing out their 2018 preseason and eyes are on the defensive unit.

With the 2018 preseason coming to a close, each team has a host of questions that they will deal with from game one, onwards. For the Carolina Panthers, much of the questions the team is facing seem to stem around their defense.

Once the engine of this organization, the Panthers defense doesn’t seem to be equipped to be the stopping force it has been in the past. Even though these games don’t count, they are a precursor to what could be an issue for the Panthers throughout the 2018 season.

Through three games, the Panthers defense has been average at best. This isn’t the same unit that threatened to take away the ball on every snap or stayed in opposing quarterbacks’ faces. In fact, even though the stalwarts like Luke Kuechly, Mario Addison, Kwann Short, Thomas Davis and others are still around, there’s something missing that causes pause in wondering if this defense will be the same in this coming year.

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This conversation has to begin with the Panthers defensive secondary. Since Josh Norman’s departure a few seasons ago, Carolina has struggled to find the lock down defender that can pair up against the stand out receivers in the league. The Panthers ended last season allowing an average of 229 yards through the air per game.

This left them as the 19th ranked team in the league in passing defense. The entire team earned 10 interceptions during that season, a far cry from the 17 and 24 interceptions that occurred in the previous two seasons. It’s hard to point out where the exact point of concern began, but many use the departure of Norman, Kurt Coleman and others as the catalyst for why the defensive secondary is struggling today.

Even though James Bradberry has greatly improved since being drafted into the NFL in 2016, he’s hasn’t become that star defender desired. Some are looking at rookie Donte Jackson as a potential starting option that should complement Bradberry and develop into a strong player. But still, there’s a lot to question when looking at the Panthers defensive secondary with the regular season looming.

Then there’s the Panthers defensive line. While Short and Addison are coming back; looking to build upon recent success, the question is whether or not Julius Peppers will return. The Panthers talked the 38-year old into returning for one more season because he performed so well last year.

With him on the line, the Panthers have the opportunity to be one of the best defensive fronts in the game. Wes Horton and Dontari Poe are the “weak links” on this line, but if Peppers is able to come back and look like he has in the past, then he should help boost this group very quickly.

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Outside of the linebackers, there’s a lot that is unknown about this Panthers defense. In many ways, they seem like a group that should be a force in the NFL. At the same time, one can wonder whether or not they will live up to the expectations put forth by defensive units of the past. Either way, coming out of the preseason this is one of the biggest questions left to answer for the Carolina Panthers.

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