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3 Weaknesses for the Carolina Panthers Heading Into 2020

Analyzing Carolina's weakest links

The Panthers seemingly have more areas of strength than they did in 2019, but they are still extremely vulnerable, especially in a division as explosive as the NFC South. There may be more roster adjustments to be made this offseason, but as of right now, Carolina has multiple Achilles heels. Here are three weaknesses for the Panthers heading into 2020:

Defensive Back

FS Tre Boston will be leading an inexperienced Panthers secondary after re-signing with the Panthers on a three-year, $18 million deal this offseasonJuston Burris will also be a quality addition after the Panthers parted ways with former No. 1 corner James Bradberry. CB Donte Jackson has an immense amount of potential, but he has yet to prove that he is a dependable number one corner yet. This will be a huge year of development for him. 

Matt Rhule addressed this position group in the NFL Draft with the additions of Jeremy Chinn, Troy Pride Jr., Kenny Robinson, and Stanley Thomas-Oliver III, but that will not be enough for a division that consists of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Matt Ryan. 

Offensive Line

The Panthers led the league with 58 sacks allowed and produced the 7th-most QB hits allowed (102) in 2019. Luckily, Marty Hurney addressed this position group with the additions of Russell Okung, John Miller, and Chris Schofield. This lineup is significantly better than last year's on paper.

However, there are still some question marks. Matt Paradis is coming off of the worst season of his career, and Russell Okung is a seasoned veteran who has been plagued with health issues over the past several years. The potential lineup of Okung, Miller, Paradis, Schofield, and Moton just doesn't seem that intimidating for any NFL defensive line to line up against. Ideally, they will be able to prove me wrong in 2020.

Tight End

After parting ways with Greg Olsen, the Panthers will have to depend on Ian Thomas to block and catch passes from Teddy Bridgewater. Besides him, there isn't much depth for Carolina to work with at the tight end position. Thomas made some plays here and there in the past, but he hasn't really proven that he can be a quality starter yet. He has the potential to develop into a solid player, but the film doesn't seem convincing at the moment. 

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