What exactly do the Carolina Panthers have at LB in 2021?

Denzel Perryman – Carolina Panthers LB

It didn’t take a nuclear physicist to figure out that Tahir Whitehead wasn’t going to get an extension this offseason. His time on the field in 2020 was nothing short of a disaster and the improvements made at linebacker when he was finally benched was the final nail in his coffin.

The Carolina Panthers are hoping for better from Denzel Perryman, who really caught the eye for the Los Angeles Chargers last season and represents a significant upgrade on anything defensive coordinator Phil Snow had at his disposal last time around.

Perryman is a physical presence that has the athleticism to match. He is a sideline-to-sideline force that appears ready to take that next step into a prominent starting role, although much will depend on whether the former second-round pick can remain healthy for an entire campaign.

There is an infectious enthusiasm to Perryman’s game that makes others around him better. The Miami product goes go about his business with reckless abandon at times, which might need to be reined in to maximize the player’s time on the field.

This is a big opportunity for Perryman to prove he can be much more than a key rotational piece. If he can, it’s going to benefit the Panthers enormously and it’ll be yet another huge plus for a young defense that is hungry for success.