The Panthers are on bye this week, and it seems like a perfect time to do some evaluation of where the Hog Mollies stand. Today, we will look at the offensive line. We’ll look to diagnose where they are versus where we expected them to be, dispel some rumors, and give a prognosis on what we expect the rest of the year. We’ll work from left to right, which means we start with Matt Kalil.
Matt Kalil
Expectations: Average
Performance: Average
Trending: Slightly Upward
Despite the large contract heaved toward Matt Kalil in the offseason by former general manager Dave Gettleman, there were hopeful expectations that Matt Kalil’s play would be average. Matt Kalil is one of those guys who is oozing with potential that has yet to be fully realized. He has struggled with injury in the past, and Gettleman took a gamble that he could potentially fix the position long term. At this point, that has yet to make itself clear. The Panthers can potentially dump Matt after year two of his deal with a somewhat reasonable dead money hit. Right now, the money he would make in future years would not justify the play we have seen so far.
That being said, Matt Kalil overall has been an average left tackle, especially by current NFL standards. He has a tendency to be hot and cold, pitching a shutout in one game only to give up multiple sacks in another. However, I can see very clear improvement overall from the beginning of the season to now. His willingness and ability in the run and screen game has increased dramatically, and our recent success on toss plays is a testament to that fact. He remains vulnerable to speed rushers, but him and Cam Newton appear to be on the same page with how he is going to set against that type of rush. Cam likewise has begun to take advantage of the spaces he clears for him. We are already getting more out of him so far than the Minnesota Vikings did and we’ll see what what he can achieve with continued familiarity with his teammates and coach Matsko. Long story short, he does NOT deserve most of the ire thrown his way to this point.
Andrew Norwell
Expectations: High
Performance: Average
Trending: Flat
In a contract year, expectations for Andrew Norwell are at a career high. The former UDFA has impressed almost the entire time he has been in Carolina, and it is finally time for him to secure a contract befitting that. Unfortunately, Norwell’s play at this point has been somewhat disappointing. Some of this can be attributed to chaos at the center position. Both he and Trai Turner have seen a lot of time without pro bowl center Ryan Kalil between them. The struggles of replacement Tyler Larsen have been well noted. The upside to this is that his eventual contract number may take a hit, the downside to this is that in the interim our running backs and quarterback are taking hits.
Norwell has long been viewed as a guy who plays with an outstanding mean streak, and it helps make up for his average agility, hand placement, and sub-par leverage. The mean streak is still there, but I think uncertainty about the man to his right is causing him to be less decisive in who he is going to block right off the ball, taking away that edge that offensive lineman have to make the first hit.
Tyler Larsen
Expectations: Low
Performance: Below Average
Trending: Upward
Though Ryan Kalil is the true starter at Center, the de facto starter due to injury has been Tyler Larsen. The team has been taking their lumps with this arrangement, but it has basically become necessary to treat Larsen as the full-time starter now instead of Kalil. Unfortunately for us, it almost would have been better if Kalil had been injured in training camp to give Larsen the appropriate time to get on the same page as his running mates. This lack of familiarity resulted in a very rough start to the year on an interior line that was expected to be a strength.
Fortunately though, the line is clearly starting to stabilize. Larsen is beginning to make some protection calls, and at the minimum knows his assignment down to down now. This has resulted in some impressive rushing performances the past two weeks, and that aspect will hopefully continue as I expect Ryan Kalil is probably not going to be playing any time soon. For the future, I think Larsen is a solid career backup. The team will need to explore their options for a long term answer at center.
Trai Turner
Expectations: Very High
Performance: Average, but has been playing hurt
Trending: Upward
Trai Turner is the team’s best offensive lineman. Even with him playing hurt, he is still the team’s best offensive lineman. After the bye, he’ll be rested and hopefully unhampered by the injury he has been playing through thus far. Combine this with continuing to gel with Tyler Larsen to his left and Daryl Williams to his right, and i expect that generally our line is going to be better in the second half of the season than the first. We know what we have in Turner, and he isn’t going anywhere.
Daryl Williams
Expectations: Low
Performance: Above Average
Trending: Slightly Upward
Despite being a third year player ready to make a leap to full time starter, Daryl Williams seemed to be a forgotten man in training camp. All eyes were on rookie behemoth Taylor Moton, whose massive frame can even make a guy like big DW stand in a shadow. Well, Williams has proven to be a man who will not be ignored. He has responded very well to the pressure added by the new talented rookie. So far this season, Daryl Williams has graded out as one of our best offensive lineman through mediums like Pro Football Focus. On tape, he looks pretty good too... for the most part. There are some caveats, which I would like to touch on to level expectations versus reality.
Daryl gets a lot of help from either tight ends or running backs. Ed Dickson has usually been lined up to his side, and has been good about chipping to help him out. Christian McCaffrey has proven to be a very good blocker, and we all know Jonathan Stewart excels in that aspect too. This should be compared to Matt Kalil who we leave alone on an island very often. Both tackles in my opinion have outperformed their expectations, but neither one are without their flaws. “Good enough” might be enough for now, but I would really like to see them both take the next step in order to help us win a Super Bowl.
A few notes on other guys seeing time...
Ryan Kalil - Unfortunately, we may be seeing the farewell tour for Ryan, who has struggled mightily with health issues the past couple of seasons. I think at this point, the team is looking to preserve whatever they can for a potential playoff run. By that point, it might make more sense to let Larsen play things out if he is healthy.
Amini Silatolu - Should not be employed.
Taylor Moton - Everybody wants to know how he is doing, and I can tell you in limited snaps he looks good. We should consider ourselves lucky that we are in a position where we do not have to start a rookie. It is way better for his development that he sees limited duty when there is an injury or in big personnel formations. That way he can play, and Matsko can show him the film in small doses to make corrections rather than overwhelm him. This approach is better for his confidence, and we may need him yet.
Greg Van Roten - In my opinion, the most exciting line prospect of the offseason based on his actual preseason performance. He finally got a chance to see a few drives against Miami, and his performance was very good. He can play any position on the interior of the offensive line, and will be a great depth asset going forward.