4 moves that caused the Carolina Panthers’ downfall in 2020
By Dean Jones
Patchwork interior protection
Trading away Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner was one of the more head-scratching decisions made by the Carolina Panthers this offseason. This left them relying on a patchwork interior protection comprised of veteran players with plenty to prove and the results have been as expected.
There was a lot to like about the way Carolina started the campaign in this particular area of the field. Chris Reed made a huge impression after coming off the reserve/COVID-19 list and complimented the strong opening to 2020 that John Miller made after he signed a one-year, $4 million in free agency.
Couple this with a much-improved level of production from center Matt Paradis and things were looking up.
However, things have started to trend on a downward curve during the second half of the season.
The interior protection has been less than stellar over the last few games. If fans were hoping for significant adjustments during the Week 13 bye, they were out of luck.
This has undoubtedly coincided with a distinct lack of confidence from Teddy Bridgewater, who has found like difficult in recent weeks and now has serious questions to answer regarding his ability to lead the Panthers moving forward.
Carolina is stuck with what they have down the stretch after failing to bring in the right sort of depth at the guard position, which is a decision they’d probably like to have back.