5 big Carolina Panthers storylines to watch during 2021 season
By Jason Huber
Will the offensive line be able to exceed expectations?
One of the most concerning position groups of the Panthers roster is the offensive line. It feels like year-in and year-out, this continues to be the weakest link.
This season, it seems like it might be another long year for a group that wasn’t improved much. Matt Paradis returns at center, Taylor Moton is locked in at right tackle, John Miller (who is out Week 1 due to COVID) and Pat Elflein will be the guards, and Cam Erving will be the new left tackle..
In the preseason, those starters played in the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers and struggled. Moton was rusty but should be just fine, but Paradis was awful and the guards struggled.
The biggest question might be whether Paradis can at least be a solid center in his final season of a three-year deal, and how Erving will perform in the blind spot.
The left tackle spot has had a different starter every year since 2014, and if things don’t work out again, Matt Rhule might have to consider giving rookie Brady Christensen a chance at right tackle and moving Moton to the left side.
Miller’s absence will already be felt in Week 1 as Dennis Daley fills in at right guard and there could be a lot of mixing-and-matching as the season goes on.