Head coach Dave Canales and his staff and currently in an assessment period regarding their playing personnel. The Carolina Panthers have nothing else to play for other than pride. Getting a good look at everybody represents the preferred course heading into another important offseason for the franchise.
The Panthers' encouraging progress in recent weeks came to a disappointing halt against the Dallas Cowboys. Canales' men reverted to type, displaying poor execution and inept defensive capabilities en route to a convincing defeat. This left no doubt how far this team is from legitimately competing with the NFL's heavyweights.
There's no harm in getting those who've been on the rotation or overlooked entirely more reps over the next three contests. Canales won't want to go out with a whimper in his first campaign at the helm. At the same time, evaluating the current landscape is arguably more important for Carolina's long-term planning at this juncture.
NFL analyst wants Carolina Panthers to give D.J. Johnson an extended run
Matt Holder from The Bleacher Report echoed this sentiment. He highlighted edge rusher D.J. Johnson as someone the Panthers must get more involved down the stretch. The analyst also believes this should come at the expense of Jadeveon Clowney's playing time.
"The Panthers are at a point in the season where they are giving young players an opportunity to prove themselves. Also, the defense could use some help on the edge, and 31-year-old Jadeveon Clowney likely isn't going to be a long-term solution for the club. [D.J.] Johnson hasn't been a good pass-rusher in the NFL, but he's been solid against the run. It's worth it to give him a bigger role over the next few weeks and have him split time with Clowney."Matt Holder, The Bleacher Report
The Panthers were heavily criticized for trading up in the third round to acquire Johnson in 2023. He offers almost nothing from a pass-rushing perspective and gets flustered versus the more dominant edge protectors around the league. However, there's been some encouraging progress in the player's run-stopping ability when called upon this season.
Johnson's 63.7 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus ranks 80th out of 202 qualifying edge defenders. Not exactly elite, but it's a lot better than the bleak outlook around the former Oregon star after an underwhelming rookie year.
Carolina needs to find an explosive pass-rusher at some stage this offseason. It's a deep draft class for edge presences emerging from the college ranks that general manager Dan Morgan must take advantage of. What Johnson must prove is his dependability to step in at a moment's notice and contribute as a rotational piece.
The progress in run support is something to build upon. That might be the niche Johnson has to carve out for himself all things considered. He's featured in 42 percent of the team's defensive snaps this season, which is a pretty good sample size. Whether this increases on the home stretch is something to monitor.
Johnson came into the Panthers as an older development project. The jury is still out on whether he can become anything more.