This Panthers team peaked six years ago, which was linebacker Shaq Thompson’s first in the NFL. Carolina ran up a 14-0 record to start the 2015 season en route to their second Super Bowl trip in franchise history. League MVP Cam Newton drove that engine. However, he also got help from a special defense that featured some future Hall of Famers.
Today, that core group of players is all but gone and forgotten. On defense, the only remaining piece is Thompson, who has taken over a leadership role in the absence of legends like Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. Thompson was apparently the ringleader in organizing voluntary workouts for the defense this offseason and he thinks they can do special things if they play for eachother, per the team website.
“And I wanted us, since we’re a new team, to have that team camaraderie, to have that defensive camaraderie. The offense, you can mess up and have another down. The defense messes up, and it’s either a big play or a touchdown. And I figure if we all know each other, get to know each other, and then you’re not just out there with someone you just met, like last year. . . Let’s play as brothers. I play for Burns, Burns plays for Jeremy Chinn, Chinn plays for A.J. Bouye, AJ plays for Bravvion Roy. As long as guys play for each other, this defense is going to be immaculate.”
That may sound far-fetched given how poorly this group has performed in recent years. There’s reason to believe they’re about to turn the corner, though. After a rough start to the 2020 season, the defense came on late, especially a burgeoning pass rush. Combined with key reinforcements at linebacker and cornerback, this unit looks much tougher on paper than the ones we’ve seen recently.
Truth is, they weren’t far off even last year before they added pieces like Jaycee Horn, Denzel Perryman and Haason Reddick. Carolina allowed 360.1 yards and 25.1 points per game last season, both good for No. 18 in the league, or just slightly below average.
If the new guys work out and the pass rush continues to develop, there’s a real chance this could be a top-10 defense in 2021.
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