You’ve probably heard the old proverb that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Since this site focuses on football, and not on the tensile strength of metals, let’s relate this principle to the Carolina Panthers.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports listed what he sees as the biggest remaining roster hole for each NFL team now that the first wave of free agent signings has taken place. Here is Prisco's take on the Panthers:
Biggest Need: Pass Rusher
They brought back three of their own edge rushers in Charles Johnson, Mario Addison and Wes Horton and added former Panthers star Julius Peppers. But Peppers is 37, Johnson turns 31 this summer and Addison turns 30 during the season. They thought Kony Ealy would be that young pass rusher, but they traded him to New England after his five-sack season in 2016.
Prisco has all of the facts correct about roster moves and player ages, but is pass rusher truly the biggest weakness on the Panthers roster?
After all, Addison had a breakout year in 2016 with a career-high 9.5 sacks and should see a higher workload in 2017 with Ealy’s departure. Julius Pepper is 37, but he registered 18.0 sacks in his last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers. On the down side, oft-injured Charles Johnson is now facing offseason back surgery.
Prisco could be right that the Panthers biggest gap is edge rusher, but there are other roster holes as well. Here are a few other areas of need based on the current roster.
Offensive Tackle
Mike Remmers is gone. Matt Kalil will be coming to Carolina as a big-money free agent at left tackle, but he is far from a sure thing. Kalil was an All-Pro as a rookie in 2012 but bottomed out in 2014 where his 55 pressures allowed were second-most in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. Kalil played in just two games in 2016 due to a hip injury. With Kalil coming to Carolina, Michael Oher will likely shift to right tackle, but Oher played in just three games in 2016 due to a concussion. Daryl Williams provides the only legitimate roster depth behind Kalil and Oher.
Running Back
Jonathan Stewart has been a great Panther throughout his career, but his yards per carry have declined from 4.6 in 2014, to 4.1 in 2015, to 3.8 last season. J-Stew also has durability issues and has missed 26 of 80 games (32.5%) over the last five seasons. Fozzy Whittaker and Cameron Artis-Payne provide some depth and continuity, but neither is an impact player.
Wide Receiver
With the departures of Ted Ginn and Corey Brown, Carolina’s wide receiving corps is suddenly looking thin. As I’ve previously written, the Panthers now have a frustrating #1 in Kelvin Benjamin while the development of #2 Devin Funchess has been much slower than hoped. Free agent signings Charles Johnson and Russell Shepard are still question marks. Brenton Bersin, Keyarris Garrett, and Damiere Byrd have not proven they can be significant contributors.
Safety
In 2016 the Panthers relied on Tre Boston at free safety, which caused Kurt Coleman to shift from his natural free safety spot to strong safety. Results from the Boston/Coleman pairing were mixed, at best. In response, Carolina recently signed 35-year-old strong safety Mike Adams, a veteran who has made the Pro Bowl in two of the last three seasons. Adams presence at strong safety should allow Coleman to shift back to free safety while Boston can provide rotational depth. But as with all free agents, it is still to be seen how good of a fit Adams will be in Carolina.
So, Panthers fans, what do you think?
As for me, I’m going with running back. J-Stew isn't getting any younger and there is always the possibility he will miss multiple games. If Stewart hits the IR in Week 11, the offense will be in a world of hurt relying exclusively on Fozzy and CAP.
But that’s just my take.
What say you, Panthers fans? Where do the Panthers still have the most roster holes?
Vote in the poll and sound off in the comments below.