Carolina Panthers midseason awards for the 2020 campaign

Rasul Douglas – Carolina Panthers CB

Rasul Douglas came into the Carolina Panthers as a cast-off following the Philadelphia Eagles’ decision not to include him on their 53-man roster. The move to acquire him off the waiver wire has been an inspired one, with the cornerback proving his capability as a viable long-term starter at the position.

Douglas has covered extremely well for the most part and his presence in the secondary was sorely missed against the Falcons on Thursday Night Football. He has given up just 18 receptions from 30 targets this season, coming up with some crucial stops on third-down along the way.

This has easily been the biggest surprise from the Panthers’ perspective and hopefully, it is a trend that can continue long into the future.

Tahir Whitehead – Carolina Panthers LB

Tahir Whitehead was tasked with slotting into the linebacker position vacated by Luke Kuechly following his shock retirement. While this is an almost impossible task, his level of production has been a significant disappointment and almost guarantees the Panthers will go in a different direction in the offseason.

Whitehead’s effort might not be in question, but he is some way off the pace of what is required. Ongoing struggles in coverage have been coupled with a distinct lack of presence in run support and the former Las Vegas Raider is running out of chances to keep his starting role for the remainder of the campaign.