Carolina Panthers: 3 most important players on defense

Kawaan Short

Kawann Short has been a steady player for the Carolina Panthers for many years. Since coming into the league in 2013, he has put together a productive career that has included a couple trips to the Pro Bowl. Now, he looks to come off a 2018 season in which he had one of the most productive seasons of his career.

He started in all 14 games last season, forcing a fumble, and recording three sacks. Perhaps when he was most effective was when he was rushing the quarterback. He had seven quarterback hits on the year. In addition, he was effective at wrapping players up, as he recorded 12 tackles for a loss. Now, he looks to have even better numbers in 2019.

He is an important part of the defense just because of the consistency he brings year in and year out. His consistency stems from things that may not be seen on the stat sheet. He has the ability to put pressure on an offense, and make quarterbacks sweat a little bit. As the unit undergoes changes in 2019, he will definitely be looked upon as a player that can add some veteran experience and a calming presence. There will certainly be a lot of moving parts, but Short will not be one of them. If anything, I expect him to have a bigger year, especially in terms of sacks, then he did last year.