2020 Carolina Panthers Offensive Line Preview

The Panthers allowed a 58 sacks in 2019. That is an average of slightly over 3.5 sacks per game. Carolina also allowed 102 hits on the quarterback, which is way too many for any offense to be effective on the football field. The front office made some changes to address the issues during the offseason. Will there be improvement? We're about to find out. Let's look into the Panthers offensive line, position by position.

Left Tackle

The Panthers traded Trai Turner for Russell Okung to address the left tackle position that has been lacking in quality for years. Okung is a two-time Pro Bowler who has championship-level experience and leadership that should help this offense grow. The main concern is Okung's health. He suffered from a pulmonary embolism as a result of blood clots last year, which sidelined him for the majority of the season. Assuming that his health won't be an issue, Okung should be a strong addition as the starting left tackle who will be protecting Teddy Bridgewater's blind side.

Greg Little played in four games and started in three last season. Even though he wasn't ready, he was thrown into the fire as a result of the lack of depth on the line. Little struggled a bit, but he should develop into a solid offensive lineman while he backs up Russell Okung.

Left Guard

John Miller was also signed in the offseason, and he will likely become the starting left guard this season. He's no Quenton Nelson, but it's unlikely that he will be a liability on the line. He's started in 60 games as a pro, so his experience should help as well.

Center

Matt Paradis had a fairly disappointing season last year. After being signed as a free agent in 2019, many thought that Paradis would be a significant boost to the Panthers O-line. Unfortunately, his performance drastically declined since then. Here are his yearly grades on Pro Football Focus:

2015: 75.1

2016: 90.2

2017: 74.0

2018: 80.6

2019: 63.5

Paradis will look to improve under a new coaching staff and new teammates to rely on. He will have some help from the new additions at guard from the offseason.

Right Guard

Michael Schofield was one of the most positive signings to the Panthers offense. While he isn't a top tier interior offensive lineman, he is going to be reliable. Schofield played next to Russell Okung for a year in Denver before being reunited through the Chargers the following year. Okung and Schofield also played with center Matt Paradis, so there is a lot of chemistry there.

Dennis Daley is going to be in a competition for one of the guard spots. Miller and Schofield and likely going to start, we likely won't know for sure until week one. The talent level is very close between the guards, so it will be interesting to see who Matt Rhule will start in week one. This season will be important for Daley's development, regardless of whether he starts or not.

Right Tackle

Taylor Moton has started for the Panthers for the last couple of years and has been pretty effective in the running and passing game for this offense. At 25 years old, Moton has started 32 consecutive times. His reliability will be one of the keys to success for Joe Brady's new offense.

Matt Kaskey will likely be Moton's backup this season. Kaskey signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and was picked up by the Panthers after the 2019 season.

What do you think of the O-line, Panthers fans? Comment below!

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