Last week, we wrote the Panthers might have the weakest defense in the NFL right now, at least on paper. It wasn’t meant to be a definitive statement. However, it seems some people agree with the idea.
According to an analysis by Mike Clay at ESPN, Carolina does indeed have the worst defensive unit in the league at the moment. Here’s how he has all 32 teams graded based on current rosters.
2020 NFL Defensive Unit Grades as rosters currently stand: #ClayProjections pic.twitter.com/Nl3h92E81x
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) March 30, 2020
This wasn’t hard to see coming.
To recap, the offseason began with the retirement of Luke Kuechly. Then, the team lost Mario Addison, Bruce Irvin, Gerald McCoy, Vernon Butler, Dontari Poe and James Bradberry in free agency. They also released Eric Reid for some reason, making the secondary even thinner. If you’re counting, that’s seven starters lost.
The defense wasn’t that great to begin with, either. Remember, this was already the worst run defense in the league by a big margin last year.
Signing linebacker Tahir Whitehead and defensive tackle Zach Kerr will help some, but clearly there’s a lot of work yet to do.
The good news is the offseason isn’t even half over yet (under normal circumstances) so there’s plenty of time to improve before next season.
A strong defense-heavy draft class is the prescription, here. Landing a blue-chip defensive prospect like Isaiah Simmons or Jeffrey Okudah would help a great deal. If nothing else, the team has to add a lot more talent and a lot more depth at cornerback. Fortunately, it’s a deep draft class at the position. Doubling up there and hitting both picks could be critical.
Free agency isn’t over yet, either. Carolina currently has around $13 million in salary cap room remaining for 2020. That’s not much, but it’s probably enough to go after one more name. Signing Jadeveon Clowney would fill a huge hole opposite Brian Burns. So would dealing for a guy like Yannick Ngakoue, who may be on the trade block.
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