How will the Carolina Panthers defense perform in 2022?

How will the Carolina Panthers’ defense led by Phil Snow perform during a hugely important 2022 season for the organization? 

The Carolina Panthers losing many players on the defensive side of the ball like Stephon Gilmore, Hassan Reddick, Morgan Fox, and DaQuan Jones to name a few are big to a unit that made big strides in Year 2 under Phil Snow.

General manager Scott Fitterer went out and got Matt Ioannidis and Xavier Woods to help with some of the departures, which could mean little to no momentum is lost providing both make smooth transitions to the Panthers in 2022.

Woods provides an upgrade on Juston Burris, boasts high football IQ, and should pair well with Jeremy Chinn. After missing the early offseason workouts, this spring’s free-agent signing from the Minnesota Vikings fitted in seamlessly during camp, drawing praise from head coach Matt Rhule and improving communication on the backend for good measure.

Cory Littleton is another intriguing addition that should help in coverage at the second level. Along with Frankie Luvu and Shaq Thompson, the linebacking corps might be a better overall unit in 2022.

Jermaine Carter left for the Kansas City Chiefs and did not deserve a contract extension due to his poor performances in 2021. The former fifth-round selection ended with an overall grade of just 42.6 from Pro Football Focus and was very poor in coverage, giving up a passer rating of 104.3 when targeted.

The free agent signing of Damien Wilson should help in the run game. Littleton’s coverage capabilities give Snow more flexibility in the combination with his packages.

Carolina Panthers’ secondary will be key in 2022

The return of Jaycee Horn and Donte Jackson will be huge as they can be a scary cornerback duo if both are on the field at the same time. The South Carolina product is a monster in man coverage that provides Snow the overall flexibility to disguise coverages.

With the help of defensive backs coach Steve Wilks, it would be a big shock if the Panthers’ secondary didn’t become a real force. The presence of Woods should also get Chinn back to playing in the box more often in a similar fashion to the hybrid that took the league by storm in 2020.

The only legitimate concern is the pass rush. Brian Burns doesn’t have another proven body on the other side of the defensive line to help get to the passer, which will let offenses chip and double team, taking away his ability to dominate the line of scrimmage.

They skipped out on Carlos Dunlap and let Hassan Reddick go in free agency. This was a calculated risk in no uncertain terms.

The Panthers are banking on Yetur Gross-Matos to develop and be their second pass rusher. Derrick Brown is another individual that needs to play like a No. 7 overall selection and produce for Carolina’s defense to take that next step from good to great.

The defense in 2021 was very good early before fading down the stretch. If this group can stay healthy and not be on the field as much thanks to offensive inefficiency, then they could be among the NFL’s best when push comes to shove.