4 burning questions Carolina Panthers fans are asking ahead of Week 16

Keith Taylor’s struggles

Why did we leave a struggling Keith Taylor on an island with Diontae Johnson on the biggest plays of the game? – Thomas

Sunday was as bad of a performance as I’ve seen from a Carolina Panthers cornerback since the days of Bene Benwikere, Melvin White, Daryl Worley, and Zack Sanchez.

Doesn’t that fizzle up some bad memories? Watching Keith Taylor Jr. in Week 15 definitely did that against Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

Johnson is among the league’s best route runners. He’s decisive and smart, offers a great understanding of leverage, and hits his landmarks as well as anyone. When he’s on his A-game, the talent at the player’s disposal represents a significant obstacle to overcome.

Taylor got a taste of that talent in no uncertain terms. He struggled to stay in phase with Johnson in man coverage and did not do well when driving off-man. It was not a good day for No. 28.

Before we go out and start asking for Scott Fitterer to cut Taylor, let’s understand what type of player he is and know what he does well.

Taylor is a bigger corner at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, which is the prototypical size for a perimeter cornerback. Coming out of Washington, he offered the skill-set to one day be developed into a starting option, but in a scheme-specific defense.

The former fifth-round pick is not a quick, twitchy corner. The lack of high-level athleticism makes Taylor more of a cornerback who should be used on the perimeter and who should be playing press-man and trail coverage where he can use his length to attack passing lanes and disrupt timing for wide receivers at the line of scrimmage.

Playing off-man against a receiver such as Johnson is less than ideal and I feel this is more of a scheme issue than the player. Taylor was not allowed to be used where he was comfortable. I believe if utilized correctly, it could’ve been different.