Carolina Panthers: 3 takeaways from first two weeks of OTAs

The defense is changing

We touched on Thursday how, the Carolina Panthers plan on making their defense around a 3-4 model instead of the 4-3 base defense. This will allow for more hybrid players to make an impact. This was evident during OTA’s and this change in defensive style should help the Carolina Panthers have a more aggressive defense than last year. This was definitely a huge take away from OTA’s.

The players the Carolina Panthers drafted this year in particular have the makeup to be part of a 3-4 hybrid defense. Defensive end Brian Burns has the athleticism and linebacker Christian Miller is perfect for the hybrid role. In particular, Miller’s speed and ability to get good angles for tackles will be an asset. There has also been talk about this some Carolina Panthers veterans, most notably Mario Addison, assuming a bigger role and not just crouching down in the defensive end position. This would be huge, because players like Addison and Luke Kuechly are more than just a defensive end and a linebacker. They are tremendous athletes. The more opportunities they have to make plays on the field, the better it should be for the entire Carolina Panthers defense.

As Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer noted, the hybrid defensive ends and linebackers have been working in their own group at certain times. Addison, Marquise Haynes, Bruce Irvin, Burns, and Miller are among those who have been in that group. To me, this means that they will play a huge part in this defense moving forward.

This new defensive play style should work much better with the passing-oriented direction that the National Football League is going. In particular, it puts the team’s best athletes in the most successful positions on the field. It will be interesting to see how much of a learning curve there is for some players. However, they should all be able to be successful within their own roles.