5. Covering rival receivers
The problem: The NFC South is a veritable murderer’s row of superb talents at the wide receiver position. With the Saints picking up Emmanuel Sanders in free agency, each division rival now has at least two extremely potent weapons at this spot. As if that weren’t enough, the Buccaneers also added Rob Gronkowski at tight end.
What’s changed: To make matters worse, the Panthers lost a lot of depth at cornerback this offseason. James Bradberry left for the Giants in free agency and both Ross Cockrell and Javien Elliott remain unsigned. They’ve since drafted Troy Pride Jr. and Stantley Thomas Oliver and signed Eli Apple, but this is easily the team’s weakest link on defense.
The x-factor: Apple struggled with New Orleans last season in coverage, no question. He will need to have a bounce-back kind of year, as will Donte Jackson, who was benched late in 2019 due to mental errors. Pride will also need a short learning curve if the Panthers are going to give him any significant amount of playing time.
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