4 Carolina Panthers who belong on Santa’s naughty list in 2020
By Dean Jones
Tahir Whitehead – Carolina Panthers LB
Tahir Whitehead was the man chosen by the Carolina Panthers for the most daunting of tasks. The linebacker was brought in on a one-year, $2.5 million deal to reunite with former college head coach Matt Rhule and he was tasked with attempting to fill the void left by Luke Kuechly after the perennial All-Pro announced his shock retirement.
Replicating Kuechly’s exceptional production is almost impossible.
But Whitehead has been an extreme disappointment.
It was apparent from very early on that Whitehead was never going to cut the mustard. His lack of ability in coverage at the second level has been a glaring deficiency throughout his career. But the player’s lack of burst and intelligence to get the right run fits or angles to the tackle was perhaps the most shocking thing of all regarding his production.
Whitehead was bringing the defense down.
It’s just that simple.
One only has to look at how much they’ve improved in recent weeks since Jermaine Carter was chosen as the starter. And it seems unbelievable that they stuck with Whitehead for so long.
The former Temple star won’t be back in Carolina next season. Judging by his level of production, his time in the NFL might also be brought to a premature halt.