4 biggest priorities for the Panthers in the 2021 offseason
By Dean Jones
Strengthen the pass-rush
There were some encouraging signs from the Carolina Panthers regarding their ability to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks as the season’s gone on. But overall their production could have been better.
Carolina averaged 1.8 sacks-per-game – No. 23 in the NFL – but they were languishing at the bottom of the standings in this particular category earlier in the campaign before their impressive finish.
Considering that they were without Kawann Short, for the most part, there are some positives to build off. They could do with getting more help rushing the passer from their linebacker corps, with only Jeremy Chinn coming up with the goods on blitz packages when called upon.
It’s unlikely Short is coming back thanks to his $20.83 million salary-cap hit and Efe Obada‘s outstanding rise in recent weeks might see another NFL team give him a lucrative deal that the Panthers might not be able to match.
This will come down to getting in a couple more pieces either during free agency or the NFL Draft and current members of the roster using the offseason to develop their respective games in the hope of making an even bigger contribution next time around. If they can do this, then Carolina might just have a chance.