The Carolina Panthers head into the 2020 season with about as much uncertainty hanging over them as any team in the NFL. They experienced far more roster turnover than anyone else this offseason and will be fielding the league’s youngest starting defense in a decade.
Here are four key questions about this unit going into 2020.
Did they do enough to stop the run?
There were a lot of reasons why the Panthers finished 5-11 last season. The biggest one was their total failure to stop the run. Carolina allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game, the most touchdowns and finished ranked No. 32 in rushing defense DVOA.
Passing may be more efficient than running, but as long as opponents know you can’t stop it, they’re going to run the ball down your throat.
Scheme will play a huge role, here. This group never really had the personnel to pull off the 3-4 Ron Rivera tried last year. This season, defensive coordinator Phil Snow is switching back to a 4-3 base scheme, which should help at least in theory.
However, personnel is just as important and we don’t know yet if they’ve done enough to address this issue. Using a top-10 pick on a run-stuffing defensive tackle in Derrick Brown should also improve this part of the game. Getting Kawann Short back healthy doesn’t hurt, either. However, they’re only two men and effectively defending the run requires a lot more than just plugging up the middle of the line of scrimmage.
This run defense will be put to the test early. The Raiders are one of the NFL’s most run-happy teams and Josh Jacobs is one of the best at what he does.
