The Panthers had an anemic pass rush last year"The

Carolina Panthers defensive end position in 2018 is one of the rare stories in football that is told well by basic statistics. While setting the edge in run defense matters Limited Donte Jackson Jersey , the most important function of a defensive end in the pass-happy NFL is to rush the quarterback. The five players the Panthers rostered at defensive end combined for 18.5 out of the team’s 35 sacks for the season. This position should have been the bread and butter of their pass rush which, in itself, is the backbone of the team’s defense. The team ranked 27th in the NFL in total sacks. That their defensive ends provided just barely half of those sacks is the surest sign that they were one of the root causes of a disappointing season.Mario AddisonAddison was the highest paid defensive end on the Panthers last year and his play matched that status. He led the team with nine sacks and 11 tackles for loss. It’s impossible to single him out for not producing more when he was often the only threat that an offense had to account for on a given down.Julius PeppersThe last year of a legend is often a quiet affair and Peppers wasn’t the exception to the rule. While we will always miss him as a presence off the field, the Panthers are getting worse only due to their own mismanagement. Most teams would be looking to replace a starting defensive end who only recorded five sacks and six tackles for loss. When that stat line comes from a 38 year old player, you would have expected a team to already have a young talent in the pipeline to inherit his role.Wes HortonAfter being active for all 16 games in 2018 and with the Panthers for 6 seasons overall, I think the jury can finally rest on Horton. He is a journeyman who can be counted on to fill out the bottom of a roster. He posted 5.5 sacks in 2017 and looked like he could maybe combine with an aging Peppers to anchor the defensive line for one more year. Instead, his 2018 campaign generated 1.5 sacks and only two tackles for loss. He is currently an unrestricted free agent and re-signing him should not change any of the Panthers plans for the draft, free agency Elite Donte Jackson Jersey , or the Powerball.Efe ObadaWe are all familiar with Obada’s unique and inspiring story. We are also familiar with how little football he has played prior to his NFL debut. Obada posted two sacks that were not technically impressive but displayed good speed and awareness. He was also responsible for an incredibly athletic interception. He is a promising player upon whom the Panthers organization cannot comfortably bet their future. 2018 proved that he can run with the big boys. 2019 needs to show that he can play with the professionals.Marquis HaynesTell me if you have heard this story before: Marty Hurney traded up in the draft to select an undersized defensive end who was projected to play in the NFL as a linebacker. That player then struggled to earn playing time. The good news is that the Panthers still have their 2019 first round pick. The bad news is that Haynes is the closest thing that the team has to an investment in young talent along their defensive line. He managed to earn a jersey on game day just four times in 2018 and turned his 46 snaps on defense into four tackles.What’s left for 2019?I’ve already outlined just how desperate the Panthers are at the defensive end position for next year. Only Addison, Obada, and Haynes remain under contract for the team. The team’s plans are a mystery right now. They have to make some moves at the position considering their extremely low level of investment at present. Haynes, a probable non-factor, is not only the highest drafted end on the team, he is the only one who has been drafted. Addison, an actual talent, is paid mid-tier starter money and is by far the highest paid player on the team at this position.What the Panthers need to do and what they can do might not align closely enough to expect a turn around in just one year. They have only a small amount of cap space in free agency and a relatively deep draft to work with. The only thing we do know is that they will have to roster more than one athlete who is over the hill Game Donte Jackson Jersey , one who is under-experienced, and another who is under sized to play defensive end. The Panthers defense wasn’t as strong in 2018 as it has been in years past." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesCat Scratch Reader homepageHorizontal - WhiteCat Scratch Readera Carolina Panthers communityFollow Cat Scratch Reader online:Follow Cat Scratch Reader on TwitterFollow Cat Scratch Reader on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchCat Scratch Reader main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsAboutPanthersOddsShopStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 Training CampCSR Film RoomPanthers 2018 season review: The Panthers defenseNew,7commentsThe Panthers defense wasn’t as strong in 2018 as it has been in years past. ESTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Panthers 2018 season review: The Panthers defenseTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailThe Panthers’ defense struggled in 2018. There are several reasons this was the case, and it’s hard to single out one thing to place the most blame on—whether it be injuries, lack of a pass rush, inconsistency in coaching, or just failed execution—the overall story of the 2018 Panthers defense is a sad one. Let’s dive into the details a bit and look back at what happened to the Panthers’ defense last season.Injuries in the secondaryThe Panthers signed cornerback Ross Cockrell and safety Da’Norris Searcy to shore up their secondary with veteran leadership, but unfortunately Cockrell broke his leg during training camp and Searcy sustained two concussions before the end of Week 2. Carolina also lost backup defensive back Kevon Seymour Donte Jackson Womens Jersey , who injured his shoulder during the preseason. All three players were placed in injured reserve and left the Panthers with a lack of depth on their roster in 2018. Due to so many injuries, the Panthers had to rely on the tandem of James Bradberry and rookie Donte Jackson at cornerback, and brought in safety Eric Reid in free agency to fill the void left by Searcy’s absence. The secondary wasn’t the biggest failure of the defense in 2018, but if the Panthers would have been a bit luckier with the injury bug, things could have ended a lot differently in 2018 for Carolina’s defense.No pass rushNot only did the Panthers suffer from key injuries in the secondary, the front seven couldn’t generate pressure on the quarterback in 2018. This resulted in the defense giving up a lot of big plays by their opponents. The Panthers finished 2018 with 35 sacks, down from 2017’s total of 50. This lack of pressure put even more strain on an injury-riddled secondary, and the Panthers defense suffered because of it. Perhaps the most depressing part of the Panthers’ lack of sacks in 2018 was the fact that future Hall of Famer and Panthers GOAT Julius Peppers finished the season one half-sack shy of moving into third place all-time in sacks. (Peppers ended his career with 159.5 sacks Youth Donte Jackson Jersey , good enough for fourth all-time in NFL history.) It’s truly a shame that we didn’t get to witness a bit of history with Peppers getting one more sack, but on the other hand we should consider ourselves fortunate to have the privilege of watching him play for so long.Coaching carousel Ron Rivera fired two defensive coaches and stripped Eric Washington of his play-calling duties during the midst of the team’s losing streak in the second half of the season. Once Rivera took over as the de-facto defensive coordinator the team played much better, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to turn the season around. It turns out the defense wasn’t the only reason the Panthers ended 2018 with a losing record. While 2018 didn’t end the way we wanted, there’s a chance the future will be brighter for Carolina with Rivera planning to call the plays on defense again in 2019.What’s next?There’s a lot more to the 2018 Panthers defense than I’ve covered today. So much that it will take more than one column to dive into all the details. Here at CSR we’re going to spend this week taking a closer look at the Panthers’ defense in 2018, and we’re going to provide some intricate details on each position group during the next few days. If that’s something that interests you, stay tuned!