It is no secret that the Carolina Panthers have had some serious question marks in the secondary this season. A distinct lack of consistency or even baseline production from the linebacker position is another issue that could all come to a head in Week 4 against the New England Patriots.
Namely, with the midfield weapon that is Hunter Henry.
A player that the Panthers will be trying to defend with a mix of Christian Rozeboom and Trevin Wallace. This is a proposition that should have the team sitting uneasily as they head into the game.
While the stats have never quite lived up to expectations after coming over from the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, Henry has been consistent if nothing else. Sometimes, that is the best thing you can be in the NFL.
Carolina Panthers' linebackers could get exposed by veteran TE Hunter Henry
There is one thing that still sets the veteran tight end apart from the rest of the players at his position. That, of course, is his ability to find the open space over the middle of the field after leaking from the offensive line.
Even in a heartbreaking Week 3 matchup where the Patriots quite literally beat themselves with how many mistakes they made, Henry produced well, hauling in eight catches for 90 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The common denominator of both of those touchdowns, as well as some key first-down pickups, was that for each of them, Henry started lined up as a blocker and leaked out as the play unfolded. Running shallow crossers, curls, or go routes toward the end zone. He gets past linebackers into the soft zone behind them or reaches over the smaller defenders to catch the pass anyway.
This kind of play only works if the offensive line can hold up well enough to let the play develop. Something that the Panthers have been incredibly poor at doing this season, with only one team sack registered through three weeks.
That is the kind of stat heading into Week 4 that seems almost unbelievable. Add to this the fact that most of Henry's catches came against a linebacker in coverage, and you begin to see why this is an issue.
The Panthers' linebackers have consistently bitten on fakes, taken poor angles, and been exposed in coverage both man and zone. This is something that Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has to be looking at with keen interest.
Carolina has to pay close attention to film and consistently account for where Henry is, as well as the very real possibility that he will not be staying back in pass or run protection. This bears more significance in the red zone, where tight ends thrive against smaller defenders.