4 bold Carolina Panthers predictions at the Saints in Week 1
By Luke Gray
Jadeveon Clowney dominates on Carolina Panthers debut with two sacks
The biggest name to join the Carolina Panthers this offseason was edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. The former No. 1 pick and Rock Hill native penned a two-year, $20 million deal to return to his home state team after a season with the Baltimore Ravens in which he had a career-high 9.5 sacks.
Clowney is part of the group charged with replacing the production of former first-round pick Brian Burns. The star outside linebacker was the Panthers' sack leader over the last two seasons, but his relationship with the previous regime soured. New general manager Dan Morgan traded him to the New York Giants this offseason.
Fans will be hoping Clowney can have an immediate impact. That is a distinct possibility against a New Orleans Saints offensive line that looks set to struggle this season.
The offensive tackle pairing of Trevor Penning and rookie Taliese Fuaga have struggled in the preseason. This is something Clowney could look to exploit. With defensive lineman Derrick Brown likely causing havoc and drawing extra interior consideration, this would allow the veteran to benefit greatly on the edge.
It’s fair to say that Clowney never really lived up to his billing as the No. 1 overall pick and generational tag coming out of South Carolina. His NFL career has been pretty up and down, with solid seasons followed by years of minimal production. Fans are hoping this won’t be the case after a good season up in Baltimore.
However, Clowney has an excellent opportunity to get his career in Carolina off to a flying start against an inexperienced tackle pairing. With Saints signal-caller Derek Carr not known for his mobility, don’t be shocked if the Panthers' marquee addition on defense puts up a multi-sack performance on his Panthers debut.
Considering the questions surrounding Carolina's edge-rushing room heading into the campaign, this would be a significant boost.