PFF: Kawann Short, Gerald McCoy Crack Top-5 Interior Defender Tandem List
The Carolina Panthers have no shortage of talent on their defensive line.
After losing Julius Peppers this offseason, they put an emphasis on stacking up their defensive front. Carolina went to the NFL draft and chose Brians Burns with their No. 16 overall pick -- while taking Christian Miller in the fourth round. Bruce Irvin and Gerald McCoy were picked up in the offseason -- bringing in veteran experience and talent.
The biggest move made so far though is McCoy, who is a six-time Pro Bowler from Tampa Bay. He provides Carolina with one of the best interior defenders that the NFL has to offer. That's why his presence, along with Kawann Short, create one of the best tandems in the league.
Pro Football Focus ranked McCoy and Short as the fifth-ranked interior defender tandem heading into 2019.
Here's what PFF said about McCoy:
As a pass-rusher, there have been few as productive as McCoy has been over the course of his career. Since 2010, McCoy’s 393 total pressures are the sixth-most among interior defensive linemen in that span, while his 143 knockdowns (sacks + hits) ring in at fifth.
Here's what PFF said about Short:
Though he’s coming off a bit of a down year from a pass-rushing perspective, Short is still one of the league’s feared interior pass-rushers. Since 2015, he’s tallied 217 quarterback pressures, and his three-year pass-rush grade of 85.2 ranks seventh-best at the position. However, he’s been even better and remarkably consistent defending the run over the past three seasons. Only Donald and Harrison have earned higher run-defense grades than Short (92.2) since 2016.
