The Carolina Panthers are running out of healthy edge rushers ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jaelan Phillips is out with a hamstring injury. Thomas Incoom is also expected to miss time with a calf issue, leaving Carolina dangerously thin at a position that’s already missing Nic Scourton for the season.
But the Panthers may have an interesting solution sitting in their secondary.
Carolina Panthers could give Tre'von Moehrig more opportunities to rush the passer on blitzes
Safety Tre'von Moehrig has already shown he can be effective when sent after the quarterback, and with Carolina's edge-rusher depth taking another hit, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero could have even more reason to unleash him as a blitzer.
In the Carolina Panthers Week 6 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Tre'von Moehrig recorded two pressures and half a sack as the Panthers consistently disrupted Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee.
That performance becomes even more interesting when considering Carolina's current injury situation.
Carolina doesn't necessarily need Moehrig rushing the passer on every obvious passing down. But using him as an occasional extra rusher could help compensate for some of the pressure the defense is losing without Phillips.
And after what happened against Philadelphia, there's reason to believe Evero could lean further into that approach.
The Panthers still have options at outside linebacker, including Patrick Jones II, Princely Umanmielen, and Trevis Gipson. However, replacing Phillips won't be easy.
Carolina Panthers have to get creative without Jaelan Phillips
That puts even more pressure on Evero to find ways to get opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable.
Fortunately, he has already shown he can manufacture pressure without relying exclusively on his outside linebackers.
The Panthers' performance against the Philadelphia Eagles was a perfect example. Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke combined for 11 pressures, while Moehrig provided another threat from the secondary.
Of course, there's a risk that comes with sending more defenders after the quarterback.
Carolina has already dealt with injuries at cornerback, and asking an undermanned secondary to hold up in coverage while extra defenders blitz could create opportunities for Tampa Bay.
Still, Evero has some flexibility with Moehrig because of his ability to play different roles within the defense. He can disguise pressure looks, threaten the line of scrimmage and occasionally drop back into coverage, making it harder for opposing offenses to know where the pressure is coming from.
The Panthers would obviously prefer to have Phillips healthy and generating pressure on his own.
But until that happens, Moehrig could become an increasingly important part of Carolina's pass-rushing plans.
And if Evero can build on what worked against Philadelphia, Sunday's matchup with Tampa Bay could give the Panthers an opportunity to see just how much more they can get out of their versatile safety.
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