4 key stats that should improve for the Carolina Panthers in 2021
By Dean Jones
Sacks generated
- 2020 number – 1.8 per game
Getting consistent pressure in opposing backfields was a real problem for the Carolina Panthers in 2020. This proved to be their downfall on more than one occasion – especially over the first half of the campaign – and even though things improved down the stretch it came with just 1.8 sacks per game on average in 2020.
If the Panthers didn’t get explosiveness from Brian Burns, it rarely came at all.
Derrick Brown showed some promise generation disruption from the interior. But Carolina made some useful additions in pursuit of improving this area of the field next season.
Perhaps the most notable signing is Haason Reddick, who opted to reunite with Matt Rhule in free agency after recording 12.5 sacks for the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. If the edge rusher can build on this in a different environment, then his partnership with Burns has the potential to be dominant.
Some potential improvements could also come from second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos, the impact expected from new signings Denzel Perryman and Morgan Fox as well as drafting three-technique Daviyon Nixon in the fifth round, and there is a lot to like about Carolina’s chances of wreaking havoc in 2021.
Another element to this is the additions of Jaycee Horn and A.J. Bouye, who should provide better coverage and allow the defensive front a little more time to involve themselves.