What’s the backup plan at middle linebacker?
Luke Kuehly was the best off-ball linebacker of this generation. Now that he’s retired, the Panthers have a gaping hole to fill in the heart of their defense. First up, the team will be starting former Raider Tahir Whitehead at Kuechly’s old spot.
Whitehead has a lot of experience in the NFL, having appeared in 125 career regular season games. He’s played middle linebacker before and also has worked with coach Matt Rhule during his time at Temple. He should be able to run the defense and communicate effectively.
The question here is if Whitehead’s game will be good enough to keep him on the field. Over the last two seasons, no linebacker has given up more passing touchdowns. One look at this coverage numbers says a lot.
Yikes.
If Whitehead winds up getting keyed-in on by every offensive playcaller the Panthers face, then Matt Rhule may need to make a change.