Grading the Carolina Panthers' 2020 Defensive Line
At the start of the season, it looked like the Panthers' defensive line was going to be the weakest unit of the defense. They had trouble stuffing the run and could not generate hardly any pressure on the quarterback. As a matter of fact, the Panthers didn't get their first sack of the season until week three against the Los Angeles Chargers.
My Overall Grade: C
The Panthers may have been without Kawann Short for essentially the entire season and rotated in a bunch of young, inexperienced guys but I don't grade based on things like that. When a teacher grades your essay, they don't give you a higher grade than you deserve because it's your first year of high school and you have the potential to be a good student. You get graded on how you performed and that's why I'm going with a C here.
Although Carolina found ways to get to the quarterback as the season moved along, they still finished 23rd in sacks per game (1.8) and 20th in rushing defense allowing 121 yards per game. All that said, there is still a lot to be excited about with this young group.
Burns Big Leap
During the middle parts of the season, the d-line started to tighten things up and you can attribute a lot of that to defensive end Brian Burns who had an unbelievable season. He ended the year with 58 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 21 QB hits, nine sacks, and three forced fumbles yet did not make the Pro Bowl. He took a big step in 2020, giving the Panthers a lot of hope that he can be a double-digit sack guy moving forward.
Vets Playing Above Expectations
Two players that I didn't see making much of a difference this season were Efe Obada and Zack Kerr - boy was I wrong. Kerr stepped up and filled in nicely for Kawann Short who was lost for the season with another shoulder injury. He certainly took me by surprise with his ability to play at a high level consistently. If I'm GM Scott Fitterer, I let go of Short and keep Kerr in a starting role at a much cheaper price.
As for Obada, you just kind of knew that at some point it would all begin to click for him and he would become a nice rotational contributor. He finished the season with a career season-high five sacks, QB hits (15), and tackles for loss (4). For a guy that the staff seemed unsure of in the beginning, he played much better than expected.
Young Guys Proving They Belong
The Panthers selected three defensive linemen in the 2020 NFL Draft - Derrick Brown in the first round, Yetur Gross-Matos in the 2nd, and Bravvion Roy in the 6th. Each of them played a pretty significant role in their rookie season, which will only make them better heading into year two.
Derrick Brown was 100% worth the 7th overall pick despite a rather slow start to the year. He didn't notch his first career sack until Week 15 at Green Bay but that's not what Carolina drafted him for. He was brought to the organization to plug up holes in the run game and pressure the pocket from inside to help guys like Brian Burns go and get the quarterback.
Yetur Gross-Matos and Bravvion Roy both finished the season strong but took a little longer to get acclimated to the speed of the NFL. I believe they will still be in the development stages in year two but the talent is certainly there for both of them.
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