What a maddening game to watch as a Panthers fan.

We could see it coming from the very start of the game when the Panthers failed to convert a 4th down gamble on their very first drive. It was all but confirmed when kicker Graham Gano’s 4th quarter go-ahead field goal attempt slipped to the right. The final nail was the inevitable deep ball catch against a flailing Panthers defender. But let’ save that for last. If I’m going to play of a very worn clicke I’m going to do it right www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com , Let’s set the stage properly...The goodThis is easily running back Christian McCaffrey who showed his versatility versus the Seahawks. He recorded over 100 yards rushing and receiving for 237 yards total and two touchdowns. From Pro Football Focus ‘Insights Newsletter’:There is no doubting that McCaffrey got very lucky with the fumbles not resulting in any turnovers. But that was not the worst play of the day.The badThough Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had an otherwise banner day his pass into the end zone that was picked off by safety Bradley McDougald was a very bad decision. So that is not all bad. Does anyone feel that we missed wide receiver Devin Funchess? I’m completely okay with wide receiver D.J. Moore getting nine targets a week, if not more. The uglyHow can this not be the defensive secondary? I understand that we lost rookie cornerback Donte Jackson on the very first play of the game. I just never expected our back-ups to be so unprepared to step in. Is Ross Cockrell ready to come back yet? No? Well crap I have no idea what we are going to do if Jackson misses any more time. Panthers defensive coordinator Eric Washington owns a portion of this of course. He did dial up some early blitzes that caught Russell Wilson by surprise. But as the game progressed he in turn burned the Panthers on the blitz. Without a pass rush this secondary is going to get ripped in Tampa this Sunday. The Carolina Panthers need a defensive end —really, two defensive ends— more than anything else in 2019. The retirement of Julius Peppers has left the team with only three athletes under contract at the position: Mario Addison Carolina Panthers T-Shirt , Efe Obada, and Marquis Haynes. The rest of the contributors from last season are free agents at present and shouldn’t be considered as top targets for the team given their contributions helped usher Ron Rivera’s once vaunted defense to a 27th place finish for sacks in the league last season.Pass rushers have the ability to make or break a game for a team in a way that is only surpassed by quarterbacks. Because of this, they are one of the most sought after positions in free agency and the draft. The Panthers Carolina Panthers Hats , with a laundry list of needs and only $18 million in cap space, probably can’t afford to get in the kind of bidding wars it takes to land premier talent. They have to invest in defensive end and they are going to have to do that through the draft.Later today we are going to talk about the odds of hitting on useful defensive end talent through the draft in every round and we are going to talk about current general manager Marty Hurney’s history with drafting defensive end.For now, we are just going to consider how insane it is that the Panthers have such a dearth of talent at such an important position. In 2017 Carolina Panthers Hoodie , former general manager Dave Gettleman traded up in the third round to draft former Panthers defensive end Daeshon Hall. He had a negligible impact with the team before being released in September of last year. Last year, Hurney traded up in the fourth round to draft undersized defensive end Haynes, who has had a similar impact to Hall in his one season with the team. Obada Customized Carolina Panthers Jerseys , while having a great story, doesn’t have a great deal of experience to recommend him yet.The departure of Peppers means that there is neither a past nor a future of the position on the team today. Obada is a gamble and Haynes hasn’t shown enough to warrant any prognostication. The Panthers can’t afford to take mid to late round fliers on possible talents anymore. Addison will turn 32 this season. The Panthers have an immediate need for talent and youth at a position of nearly unparalleled importance for their defense. There is no telling how low the floor is for that entire unit in 2019 if they don’t walk out of the draft with a day one starter at defensive end.