4 Carolina Panthers who could get reduced playing time in Week 5 at Bears
By Luke Gray
Nick Scott - Carolina Panthers S
The theme for this article is unfortunately defense. While defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is one of the league's best strategists in this critical discipline, the talent is simply not available on that side of the ball.
Veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson and Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown - who were both made team captains before the campaign - are out for the season. Outside of gifted cornerback Jaycee Horn, there’s a distinct lack of elite talent.
A position in which the Panthers have struggled is the safety spot. Carolina has had good production on the backend in recent seasons, but it's starting to become a concern. The starting tandem of Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller consists of two high-level veterans, but the depth is sorely lacking with the free-agent signing also on injured reserve right now.
With Woods failing to impress this season and Fuller on the shelf, Nick Scott has been thrust into a starting role. He's allowed four receptions on six targets with just a 57.5 grade from Pro Football Focus for his efforts to date. The Panthers are missing Sam Franklin Jr. Not only is the former Temple man a core special teamer, but he is also a high-level backup.
The Panthers recently signed rookie Demani Richardson to the active roster. The former Texas A&M standout was with Carolina throughout training camp and impressed many with his performances in preseason. If Scott continues to struggle, don’t be surprised to see Evero give the undrafted free agent some burn in the secondary.
That would almost be admitting defeat for the Panthers, especially considering Scott is a close associate of Evero's from a previous stop. But if another season starts spiraling out of control, those in power need to see what they have in their younger fringe players before the 2025 offseason arrives.