Phil Snow Has a Big Problem on His Hands, but It's a Good One to Have
A year ago, the Carolina Panthers struggled to get teams off the field on 3rd downs which had a lot to do with the secondary. Granted, the NFC South is loaded with top-notch receivers and QB play but the Panthers had issues that they couldn't fix in the middle of the season.
Injuries and a lack of depth at corner really hurt the defense at times throughout the course of the season which is why GM Scott Fitterer placed an emphasis on the third level of the defense this offseason. The cornerbacks' room saw the most attention by signing veterans A.J. Bouye and Rashaan Melvin, then using the No. 8 overall pick on South Carolina's Jaycee Horn. Later in the draft, the Panthers took yet another corner by taking Keith Taylor of Washington.
Depth should no longer be an issue with all of the new additions. Now, defensive coordinator Phil Snow will be challenged with figuring out roles and playing time for each corner.
"We have a lot more flexibility rotating," Snow said. "Even guys like Keith Taylor, he's a 5th rounder but I thought he was going to go in the 2nd or 3rd round. I mean, he's a talented guy. There's a lot of guys that we can play. My biggest concern is making sure I get all of these guys on the field to make plays because there's a variety of different groups that I can play. We've got to utilize everybody with the right amount of snaps, so that's my biggest challenge right now."
While Bouye, Melvin, and Jackson are all capable of claiming a starting spot on the defense, young guys such as Horn and Taylor will be pushing them to earn more reps. According to Phil Snow, these two young corners bring a high level of confidence and mental toughness to the table.
"The biggest thing with the rookies is, do they think they belong? Our rookies, like Jaycee Horn, he looks like he's been in the NFL for a long time. I mean, he just fits right in and plays. Taylor is the same way. A lot of these guys are fitting right in and playing, so as long as they do that they're going to continue to get better and better. I think a lot of times when you doubt yourself, you don't get better. Those are things that hold you back and I think a lot of these guys that we brought in that are young don't doubt themselves. They've got real confidence and I think that's important in their growth."
Snow has been impressed with how quickly Horn is catching onto the defense and noted that nothing Horn does surprises him, he's just that good. Not only can Horn be the part but he looks the part as well. It even caught Snow's attention prior to practice last week.
"Like Troy Pride is a big kid. He's 6-feet, 200 [pounds] right? And Troy and him were walking next to each other coming on the field last week and I said look how much bigger Jaycee is than Troy. You don't realize how big he is and have the ability to move the way he does. Plus, he's got a high IQ for football. Whatever you tell him, he knows and learns right away."
Assuming Horn latches on fairly quickly and snags a starting spot, that means Melvin and Bouye who have both started several games in the league will be the Panthers' 3rd and 4th corners. Having too much depth at a position can never be a bad problem to have especially when playing against the high-flying offenses that reside in the NFC South.
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