BREAKING: Thomas Davis tests positive for banned substance

For the Carolina Panthers, this is an unforeseen development that will put them in a bind moving forward.

The roller coaster career of Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis has taken another turn. On Friday, he took to Twitter to announce he has been suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season for testing positive for a league-banned substance, which reportedly is an estrogen blocker.

In a career that includes 750 tackles, 26 sacks, and 18 forced fumbles, Thomas Davis is set to retire at season’s end. The interesting thing is, he has not shown any signs of slowing down. In 2017, he recorded 52 tackles in 15 games, all of which he started. That put him third on the team behind James Bradberry and Luke Kuechly.

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The Carolina Panthers will feel the void left by Davis in those four contests. For the linebackers in particular, it will have to be a group effort even moreso as they begin the 2018 campaign.

It has been suggested that Shaq Thompson’s role will increase in the 2018 campaign, as the Panthers begin to prepare for life without Davis. Thompson may see increased playing time in the first four games due to Davis’s suspension. If so, it will be good practice for him and prepare him for the coming years. He figures to be a key piece of the defense moving forward.

This is something you never want to see. Especially for a player who was looking to ride off into the sunset and cap off a productive career, this is terrible news. If there is a positive aspect of the suspension it is that it will allow the defense to rotate other guys into the game. This may give players who would not normally get a shot an opportunity to show the coaching staff what they have in terms of skillsets.

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In what was an unforeseen development, the Panthers need to make the best of a difficult situation.