Carolina Panthers: Corn Elder should be in secondary conversation

The Carolina Panthers may need to rely on Elder a lot this year.

Carolina Panthers cornerback Corn Elder is in a totally different position than last season. With Mike Adams and Captain Munnerlyn gone, Elder is now one of the veterans at the position. It is certainly a role that he is not necessarily accustomed to being in. However, this year will be a true test of his leadership skills, as he looks to add knowledge and experience to what is sure to be a very young unit.

You have to think that Donte Jackson and Rashaan Gaulden will be playing a big role in the secondary in the 2019 season. That leaves Elder as a player who has the ability to take advantage of being one of the only veterans on the unit.

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Last season was not one of his better years. According to statistics from Pro Football Focus, Elder had a 48.8 defensive rating and a 31.6 tackling rating. I could live with his tackling rating, as tackling isn’t the main focus of his position. However, the defensive rating certainly leaves a lot to be desired. It may be a tall task to ask him to be an impactful player right away, but sometimes increased skill comes with additional reps. Elder could certainly fall into that category in this case.

You also have to take into consideration his limited snaps. Against New Orleans in Week 17 he received eight snaps on the field. Against Tampa Bay, he played in only one. In the games against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, he only played in one snap.

However, looking at a bigger sample size he played in 20 snaps in Week Two against the Falcons. With 10 snaps being to support the rush defense and the other 10 snaps being in coverage, we were able to see exactly what he could do when playing to his strengths. He did fairly well, recording a 68.9 defensive rating and a 76.2 tackling rating. He also received a grade of 67 in coverage.

Those are certainly encouraging numbers when comparing them to the above ones. We may see more situations like that this year. In his preview on Elder, Steven Taranto of 247Sports recognized that this may be a breakout year for him. He will have some competition, that much is clear. Kevon Seymour, Ross Cockrell and Javien Elliott are some of the names that will provide some healthy competition. Even still, this could be Elder’s chance to shine.

"With only three tackles to his credit, Corn Elder has a long way to go in terms of proving himself. But thanks to the Panthers’ youth movement on defense, Elder will have more than enough opportunities to show that he is defined more by his potential as Munnerlyn’s successor than by the adversity of his early NFL career."

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For a player that is looking to prove himself, this is a big couple of weeks for Elder. In particular, he should take preseason very seriously. He could be in line for some major playing time for the Carolina Panthers in 2019. Now, he has to show that he is worthy of it.

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