5 Carolina Panthers who must play better down the stretch

Yetur Gross-Matos – Carolina Panthers DL

It’s been another strange season for Yetur Gross-Matos. The defensive lineman has rarely been a consistent factor in the lineup thanks to the free-agent additions of Haason Reddick and Morgan Fox, who’ve both been tremendous signings for the Carolina Panthers and limited the former Penn State star’s influence as a result.

Gross-Matos has been on the field for just 32 percent of Carolina’s defensive snaps this season and has been active for 10 games. If the 2021 second-round pick wants to cement his status within the organization, he’ll need to up his game during the run-in before a critical offseason period for the player.

There is no denying Gross-Matos’ qualities. He has sufficient explosiveness to generate pressure when opportunities arise and is also improving against the run, which was one of the big concerns coming out of college.

Considering the recent complications being suffered by the Panthers on defense – especially in their two contests before the bye – this might be a good time to put more on Gross-Matos’ plate and see how he gets on.

One could argue that Gross-Matos should be making a bigger impression considering his physical attributes and where the player was drafted. But it’s worth remembering he’s still learning how to be a successful pro and Carolina might not see the best of him until 2022.