Tag: DaQuan Jones

Panthers again without a chunk of their offensive line on Thursday

Another practice, another handful of offensive linemen still out for the Panthers here in Week 14.

Do the Carolina Panthers like themselves a little of The Who? If so—meet the new injury report, same as the old injury report.

As far as the participants have gone leading up to their Week 14 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, the team saw a repeat of yesterday’s bunch. Once again, guards John Miller and Michael Jordan as well as defensive tackle DaQuan Jones were all down on Thursday.

Injury Wed. Thurs. Fri. Game status
G John Miller Ankle DNP DNP
G Michael Jordan Hamstring DNP DNP
DT DaQuan Jones Non-injury DNP DNP

Also away from practice were linebacker Frankie Luvu and, yep, another offensive linemen in Trent Scott. Both men still remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list—in a pair of cases, as that head coach Matt Rhule confirmed on Wednesday, are independent of one another.

Sunday’s outlook does not look particularly promising for either Miller nor Jordan, who Rhule wasn’t very optimistic of in terms of progress. Today’s absences, obviously, jive with that feeling.

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Panthers’ DaQuan Jones says 2014-15 Titans had bad locker rooms

DaQuan Jones dished a bit on two Titans rosters he was part of during his seven seasons with the team.

Former Tennessee Titans and current Carolina Panthers defensive lineman DaQuan Jones recently dished a bit on two of the rosters he was a part of during his seven seasons with the team.

Jones, who was a fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2014, was asked by CBS Sports’ Steven Taranto how the Panthers, a team that has lost four straight, can avoid allowing their season to get out of control like past Titans teams did.

In his response, Jones says the Panthers roster he is currently on is different, noting that the 2014-15 Titans teams that Taranto pointed to specifically had bad locker rooms with “greedy, selfish” players who were only out for themselves.

Those two Titans teams were a disaster after starting out 1-0 and ultimately sported a combined record of 5-27 after going 2-14 in 2014 and 3-13 in 2015. The head coach of those squads, Ken Whisenhunt, didn’t make it out of his second season before being replaced by Mike Mularkey.

Thankfully, the Titans saw a culture change in the years that followed and have since put together five straight winning seasons, three of which have resulted in trips to the playoffs, including an AFC Championship Game appearance.

Nonetheless, this was an interesting look into some past Titans teams. This franchise has come a long way since then.

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Panthers PFF grades: Best and worst from Week 2 vs. Saints

The Panthers aced their first big test of the season, but how did PFF grade their guys out in the win over the Saints?

The Carolina Panthers came up absolute aces in their dominant upset win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. But that’s just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, proverbial school grade.

How about some Pro Football Focus grades instead?

Here’s who the film buffs had as the Panthers’ best and worst performers in the Week 2 victory.

Panthers Week 2 injury report: All systems go ahead of clash with Saints

Exhale, Panthers fans. RT Taylor Moton, and the six other players listed on this week’s injury report, will all be good to go against the Saints.

Some concern about the Carolina Panthers’ chances against the New Orleans Saints arose when starting right tackle Taylor Moton suddenly popped up on Thursday’s injury report. Well, we can probably put those worries to bed.

The Panthers returned an almost perfect final injury report on Friday, just two days ahead of their first divisional matchup of 2021. Although seven players remained listed, none were saddled with any type of game status designation. That suggests they’re all good to go.

Injury Wed. Thurs. Fri. Game Status
DT DaQuan Jones Groin Limited Limited Limited –
OT Taylor Moton Groin – Limited Limited –
S Juston Burris Neck Full Full Full –
S Sean Chandler Hamstring Full Full Full –
G Pat Elflein Hip Limited Full Full –
G John Miller Illness Limited Full Full –
WR Shi Smith Shoulder Full Full Full –

Losing Moton, or even having him the least bit compromised, would’ve spelled even more trouble for Carolina, who’s already a clear underdog to New Orleans on Sunday. Being without your best offensive linemen on what’s still one of the worst units in the league, of course, is not ideal.

But, fortunately for the Panthers, that seems like it won’t be the case as they shoot for the upset at home.

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Panthers injury update: RT Taylor Moton added to report as limited

The Panthers added RT Taylor Moton to the injury report on Thursday. In other news, Saints DE Cameron Jordan salivates.

Any week would be a bad week for the Carolina Panthers to be without starting right tackle Taylor Moton. But this week, in particular, is not one of the more ideal ones in that regard.

Moton was added to the injury report ahead of the Panthers’ Week 2 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. A groin injury kept the team’s top offensive lineman as a limited participant in Thursday’s practice.

Injury Wed. Thurs. Fri.
DT DaQuan Jones Groin Limited Limited
OT Taylor Moton Groin – Limited
S Juston Burris Neck Full Full
S Sean Chandler Hamstring Full Full
G Pat Elflein Hip Limited Full
G John Miller Illness Limited Full
WR Shi Smith Shoulder Full Full

Carolina will be welcoming in New Orleans for their first divisional clash of the 2021 season. And if that wasn’t big enough, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan could be in for one heck of a day if Moton’s presence is compromised in any way.

Save for veteran defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, players who were limited on Wednesday (guards Pat Elflein and John Miller) made the jump to full participation on Thursday.

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Panthers injury report: WR Shi Smith back as full participant for Week 2

After being the only Panther on the 53-man roster to miss last week’s opener due to injury, WR Shi Smith was back at full go for practice today.

If you rewind back to the moment where Carolina Panthers receiver Shi Smith injured his shoulder in the preseason finale three weeks ago, there was no way anyone would’ve thought he’d be where he is today. And today, he’s back at a full-go.

The rookie wideout was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice,  even in spite of the injury. He was joined by a handful of other Panthers in what was a relatively encouraging report for the team ahead of their Week 2 contest against the New Orleans Saints.

Injury Wed. Thurs. Fri. Game status
G Pat Elflein Hip Limited
DT DaQuan Jones Groin Limited
G John Miller Illness Limited
S Juston Burris Neck Full
S Sean Chandler Hamstring Full
WR Shi Smith Shoulder Full

As announced this morning, Miller has been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and will try to keep working his way back into the starting lineup. Dennis Daley filled in for Miller in last week’s win over the New York Jets.

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Panthers Preseason: All expected starters don’t dress vs. Colts

You’ll have to wait another week to see at least some of the Carolina Panthers’ Sunday best.

Sorry, Carolina Panthers fans. But you’ll have to wait at least another week to see your team’s Sunday best. Every. Single. One.

As expected, head coach Matt Rhule opted not to roll out any projected regular season starters this afternoon against the Indianapolis Colts. The team released its starting lineup an hour before kickoff while also confirming its headliners will not be dressed. So that means civilian clothes for:

Sam Darnold, Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Dan Arnold, Ian Thomas, Cameron Erving, Taylor Moton, Pat Elflein, John Miller, Matt Paradis, Brian Burns, Morgan Fox, Derrick Brown, DaQuan Jones, Shaq Thompson, Jermaine Carter Jr., Haason Reddick, Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, Jeremy Chinn and Juston Burris.

Also not in uniform will be the crop of running backs Rodney Smith and Reggie Bonnafon, center Mike Panasiuk and defensive tackle Caraun Reid. They will each be inactive due to injury.

Wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, offensive lineman Dennis Daley, cornerback A.J. Bouye, safety Myles Hartfield and linebackers Denzel Perryman, Julian Stanford and Clay Johnston are inactive as well and did not travel with the team.

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Panthers 2021 defensive line review: What’s in store for opposing quarterbacks?

The Panthers took one of the league’s most underappreciated edge rushers and paired him with another fresh off a breakout season.

Ahead of training camp, we’re taking a look at each position on the Carolina Panthers’ 2021 squad, evaluating the changes since 2020 and projecting the unit’s outlook for this season.

Over the last few weeks, we took a look at the offense, starting with the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, then rounding it out with the tight ends and offensive line. Now, we’ll turn to the first position group on defense: the defensive line.

Major changes: Stacking the edges

Last year was a roller coaster for the Panthers defense. Heading into the season, expectations were low across the board, with some even ranking Carolina’s defensive unit dead last. At the midpoint of the season though Phil Snow’s group began showing promise. Propelled by young sensations like Jeremy Chinn and Brian Burns, the defense led the NFL with 15 fumble recoveries and tied for first with three fumble recovery touchdowns.

This season, they look better on paper, headlined by the signing of edge rusher Haason Reddick to a bargain of a contract. After posting 12.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits in his breakout 2020 season, Reddick was one of the most sought-after free agents at his position. Now, he will line up opposite Brian Burns, who posted nine sacks and 21 quarterback hits in 2020.

The interior defensive line is where things get shaky. One of our least favorite moves of the offseason was releasing DT Zach Kerr, especially after he signed with the 49ers for just $1.2 million. The stats prove that Kerr, a consistent rotational lineman for the Panthers that put up nine pressures playing just 37% of the team’s defensive snaps, was well worth that price. Carolina also released veteran DT Kawann Short, who started when healthy but was also extremely injury-prone. Efe Obada was also allowed to walk and eventually signed with the Bills.

To fill these gaps, the Panthers made a few moves in free agency, most notably adding former Titans DT DaQuan Jones, a starter for Tennessee since 2015. Carolina also made a couple of depth moves, adding former Rams versatile lineman Morgan Fox, then spending a couple of late draft picks on run-stuffers Daviyon Nixon and Phil Hoskins.

The big question: What does the interior rotation look like?

In Carolina defensive line depth is a tale of two positions. While the team is thriving with guys like Burns and Reddick, the Panthers have found it hard to replace Short and Kerr.

As the roster currently stands, we expect Derrick Brown and DaQuan Jones to be named Carolina’s starters at DT. Brown finished the 2020 season as PFF’s second-best rookie pass rusher. Now, PFF named him one of their second-year breakout candidates, something that could propel the Panthers’ defense into top-ten contention.

We expect second-year lineman Bravvion Roy and rookie Daviyon Nixon to be their primary backups, which could be a riskier move given their combined inexperience. Morgan Fox should also see plenty of reps inside, given that he brings the experience and versatility that both of the younger options presently lack.

Another way the Panthers could bounce back from the loss of Short is by… bringing him back. In February, reports surfaced that Carolina was interested in bringing the veteran DT back at a reasonable price. Months later, Short still doesn’t have a team, and he was just cleared for football activity following the injuries that held him back last season. It would make sense for the team to kick the tires on a deal with Short, whose career has seen 32.5 sacks and 88 quarterback hits, peaking with his 11 sacks in the Panthers’ 2015 Super Bowl run.

Better or worse? Better

The Panthers took one of the league’s most underappreciated edge rushers and paired him with another one fresh off a breakout season. Following this offseason, the edge is the team’s strongest position group, especially with depth options like Yetur Gross-Matos and Marquis Haynes. The interior isn’t quite as deep, but this is still the team’s best position group on paper.

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Ranking the NFC South’s top DTs: Where do Derrick Brown and DaQuan Jones fit?

We know Derrick Brown is already good enough to crack the list. But do the Carolina Panthers have another defensive tackle worthy of a mention?

At a different moment in time, Carolina Panthers fans would’ve seen the title of these rankings and said “Bring on the hog mollies!” But alas, that term is just about extinct in these parts.

That doesn’t mean we can’t dive into the division’s very best big boys with the same gusto former general manager Dave Gettleman had in collecting them. So, who’s here to represent these Panthers?

Well, we already know there’s one of them afoot. (I mean, he’s featured in the damn picture.) But, will Derrick Brown be joined by any of his Carolina teammates? Let’s get to it.

Panthers CB Donte Jackson on secondary: “We can be dominant”

Panthers CB Donte Jackson on secondary: “We can be dominant”

Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson has never minced words over the three years we’ve come to know him. So the ones he put out there on Wednesday shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“We can be dominant. We can be dominant, man,” Jackson confidently said when asked about the team’s additions at the corner position. “We have a group that not only are we fighting hard to learn the scheme and have the scheme down pat, we’re also fighting hard to be consistent and fighting hard to work hard on our detail and our craft. That’s the one thing we’ve been holding the group accountable for. Make sure we get our technique, make sure we get our detail work in.”

Jackson also alluded to the growth of the defense as a whole, stating the talent at linebacker and along the defensive line will only make the secondary’s job that much easier. The front office has inked proven veteran names such as Haason Reddick, Denzel Perryman, DaQuan Jones and Morgan Fox this offseason to juice up the group.

“For the team, especially with the front seven like we have, I think that this corner and this secondary group can be really, really special, man. I think we have all the pieces. We have the IQs in the backend, we have the physicality, we have the speed. It’s just gonna be all about detailing and coming in and just trying to be consistent and working.”

This might’ve been a stretch for anyone in the organization, let alone Jackson, to say about this unit last season. A year ago today, the Panthers secondary was almost exclusively filled up by rookies and practice squad-caliber players.

With an extra 12 months of improvement for their younger guys has, again, come some considerable reinforcements. Bringing on rookies Jaycee Horn and Keith Taylor as well as free agents A.J. Bouye and Rashaan Melvin has helped give Carolina a nice facelift as they continue their rebuilding process.

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