4 Panthers players who underperformed at the Bucs in Week 2
By Dean Jones
Stephen Weatherly – Carolina Panthers DE
There was a lot expected of Stephen Weatherly following his free-agent arrival to the Carolina Panthers. He is getting the chance to finally make a starting spot his own after playing well in a rotational role with the Minnesota Vikings and this opportunity has got off to an indifferent start.
Weatherly struggled to generate any sort of backfield pressure for the second week running, eventually finishing the game with just two tackles.
This is not what the Panthers were hoping for. But Weatherly is not alone regarding the team’s inability to get after the quarterback when presented with the opportunity.
They have yet to record a sack from their two games, which is almost unheard of from such a talented group. Carolina was missing veteran Pro Bowler Kawann Short and second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos for their game at the Buccaneers. So Weatherly’s lack of production, when they needed more from the player, was something that really stood out.
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow’s odd use of scheme packages in the first half didn’t exactly help. Weatherly will be a key contributor to any success that comes their way in 2020. But things need to get better from a consistency perspective regarding the player.
Weatherly’s grade of 63.7 from Pro Football Focus over the first two outings isn’t the worst by any stretch of the imagination. And there should be improvements once this defense familiarises themselves with one another.