3 toughest matchups for Yetur Gross-Matos in 2020

Bryan Bulaga – Week 3 on Carolina Panthers schedule

When one examines the best right tackles in the NFL in recent years, then Bryan Bulaga is high on the shortlist. The player enjoyed a glittering career with the Green Bay Packers before eventually agreeing to a significant free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason.

This will be a stern early test for Yetur Gross-Matos, with the Carolina Panthers set to travel to the Chargers in week three. Bulaga received a 77.8 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2019 after allowing four sacks in 898 offensive snaps for the Packers.

Depending on how much the Panthers put their new edge rusher in the firing line early on, this represents a fascinating matchup between rookie and veteran. Gross-Matos is an immensely explosive player who has the athleticism to cause Bulaga an untold amount of problems if he performs at the top of his game.

There is a flip side to this coin. Bulaga has seen it all throughout his career and knows exactly how to prevent a player like Gross-Matos from getting to the quarterback. He is a wily character who is still producing consistent enough performances. Something that saw the Chargers give him $19.25 million guaranteed to put him alongside former Panther Trai Turner.

This has the scope to be a tussle of great importance to Gross-Matos. He will learn an untold amount from potentially coming up against a Super Bowl winner in Bulaga. And this is something he can call upon during the remainder of the campaign.