12 best performing Carolina Panthers according to PFF grades
By Dean Jones
Who are the best-graded Carolina Panthers players according to Pro Football Focus?
It has been an eventful 2020 season so far for the Carolina Panthers, to put it mildly. Big changes were made across the board during the offseason period and this has come with the inconsistency many expected before competitive action got underway.
That being said, there is a lot to like about the way this young roster has applied themselves in the face of some stern competition. The Carolina Panthers have gone toe-to-toe with some leading Super Bowl contenders and besides three disappointing losses against the Bears, Falcons, and Buccaneers, they’ve more than held their own without quite getting over the line down the stretch.
Carolina goes into their crucial Week 12 game at the Minnesota Vikings high on confidence after a dominant 20-0 victory over the Detroit Lions. This was the first time they’d held an opponent scoreless since 2015 and was another big step in the right direction for a team who lost five straight going into the game.
We thought this might be a good time to examine which Panthers players are catching the eye of Pro Football Focus through the first 11 games. Here are the top-12 in terms of grades, which does not include quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s 69.2.
Number 12
No. 12: Matt Paradis – Carolina Panthers C
- PFF grade – 70.0
It looked as if Matt Paradis might be shown the door in 2021 after a less than stellar performance in 2019. But he has been a tremendous asset, for the most part, this season.
There isn’t a lot in the way of help around Paradis on Carolina’s interior protection. But Paradis has only given up one sack from 700 snaps this season so far and has developed nice chemistry on the line of scrimmage with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
This might ensure Paradis is kept around for the final year of his deal, where he stands to make a little more than $7 million in base salary and count $10.33 million against the salary cap. But he’ll need to finish strongly in order to leave no doubt.