Ranking the 5 most intimidating Carolina Panthers players in 2021

Denzel Perryman – Carolina Panthers LB

While Denzel Perryman might not blow you away with his height, the linebacker is absolutely ferocious and is a real force to be reckoned with at the second level.

This is something the Carolina Panthers sorely lacked within their linebacker room following the retirement of Luke Kuechly. So picking up the former Miami standout in free agency is a shrewd bit of business.

One doesn’t have to watch much tape where Perryman is concerned to see exactly what he’s bringing to the table. He goes about his business in an aggressive manner, displaying the sort of violence that is a throwback to NFL years gone by in a time period where the rules were a little more lenient when it came to big-hitting.

This got Perryman in trouble at times during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers. The player spent some considerable time on the sidelines through injury, but taking this away from his game would be detrimental to his overall influence.

The difference in potential between Perryman and last season’s free-agent signing Tahir Whitehead is night and day. This obviously comes with heightened expectancy, which is sure to spur him on even more in pursuit of becoming Kuechly’s long-term successor in Carolina.

Having intimidating linebackers has been a key component behind the Panthers’ success on defense over the years. Although the likes of Sam Mills, Kevin Greene, Jon Beason, Thomas Davis, and Kuechly are long gone, Perryman could very well be next in line.