3 fatal flaws the Carolina Panthers must address during 2024 bye week

Carolina Panthers' run defense

Ejiro Evero hasn't had it easy during his second season as Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator. The progressive coach decided to stick around under Dave Canales after narrowly missing out on a head coaching gig himself. But the deck was stacked after several established stars were either traded or left for nothing in free agency.

Evero acquired players he's worked with previously to smooth this important transition. To make matters worse, the Panthers lost Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown and veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson for the entire campaign within the first two games.

The Panthers have never had a full-strength defense to call upon this season. They've suffered greatly as a result, trying to tread water rather than firmly establishing themselves as a force.

Carolina's inability to stop the run is a grave concern. Some fans have claimed things are getting better. That might be the case, but they've given up a whopping 155.3 yards per game on the ground over their last three contests.

That's a slight decrease from the 160.1 rushing yards per game conceded throughout the campaign overall, but not by much. The Panthers are ranked No. 32 against the run with good reason. This is immensely disappointing when one considers Evero's acquisitions centered on finding players with proven credentials in this key discipline.

Losing Brown hasn't helped. He broke the NFL's single-season tackle record for interior defensive linemen last season and earned a megabucks deal as a result. Any team is going to miss a play of his caliber. Even so, the Panthers have yet to come up with the consistent coping mechanisms needed.

The bye week represents a chance for Evero to take stock and find the right formula to enhance the team's run-stopping prowess. It won't be easy with the limited personnel available, but the coordinator proved he could do more with less last time around.

He needs to do the same again.