4 pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers young defense in 2021

Aggressiveness vs. Volatility

One thing that can never be said about young defensive stars is that they lack aggressiveness. But that can sometimes come with certain volatility that can end up hurting the team rather than helping in most cases.

We can all remember the multiple exchanges that Josh Norman got into during his tenure with the Carolina Panthers and while that tenacity was welcome, the penalties really weren’t.

However, aggressiveness is something that can’t really be taught and a lot of players lose that fire as they age in the NFL. A trait that lends itself to creating turnovers and making sure offensive players never forget your name. Whether that be by snagging an interception, causing a fumble, or just hitting them really really hard.

That drive to get after the ball and affect the play is often used by younger players to mask some inefficiencies in their game that end up being patched later on. But there is really no substitute for a 6-foot-5, 250-pound wrecking ball named Brian Burns bursting through the line to meet you face to face on the turf a half-second later.

Or a Jeremy Chinn teleporting to a ball carrier and blowing them up.

The flip side of that argument being the Norman example. When that aggressiveness spills over into petty penalties and eventually into full-on fistfights is where the issues come in. There needs to be a balance between the willingness to lower the big hit or play right up on a receiver and just looking for an excuse to punch someone.

A balance that Donte Jackson rides very well when he undercuts routes or runs up to meet a screen pass, as does the rest of the current Panthers squad. But time will only tell whether or not their new additions will have that same mindset of “that play is over, on to the next one”.

As long as these young rookies can keep a lid on their aggressiveness, it will serve them rather well in their early careers.