Four of the five team captains the Panthers had in 2019 are now gone. Luke Kuechly retired, while Cam Newton, Greg Olsen and Colin Jones were released. The only one remaining is defensive tackle Kawann Short, who sat out the final 14 games last season due to a shoulder injury.
Carolina’s captains turning over is just part of the tectonic shifts the team has experienced this year and that’s only if we’re talking about football. 2020 has presented unprecedented challenges for professional athletes and sports leagues. In a Zoom call with reporters on Sunday, Short said he considered opting-out this year due to the pandemic, but in the end decided to play. He also commented on how crazy 2020 has been, offering the quote of the offseason.
Kawann Short: "It's just a crazy year… 2020 is kind of undefeated, man."
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) August 2, 2020
The good news is that the Panthers have not had a positive COVID-19 test as of yet.
Assuming that we have an NFL season, Short will be leading an almost totally remade defensive line unit. Mario Addison, Bruce Irvin, Dontari Poe, Kyle Love and Vernon Butler all left. Players like Brian Burns, Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos will have to step up in their absence.
Even if they do, all of that might be for nought if Short goes down again. Short’s shoulder injury was a huge reason why the team struggled in run defense so much last year. Schematic changes will help. However, they need Short healthy if there’s going to be any significant improvement there.
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