Analyzing Panthers’ new ‘D’ and chances to win division

PHOTO | TROY HULL

Jeremy Chinn (from left), Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu are taking on evolving roles with the Carolina Panthers' switch to the 3-4 defense.

As the Carolina Panthers prepare for Thursday’s organized team activity, defensive line coach Todd Wash will grab his whistle so he can continue “gym class.”  

That’s how the old-school coach described OTA workouts. No contact. No pads. But an opportunity to work on individual and unit drills.  

Wash is helping new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero reshape the Panthers’ defensive philosophy from a base 4-3 to a more flexible 3-4 alignment. But, to Wash, it’s been a challenge to gauge the players’ adjustment during the no-tackling phase of the offseason.  

The real test comes during training camp, beginning with two joint August practices with the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.   

For now, the transformation is a work in progress.  

Reich: New defense will be ‘really multiple’   

When new head coach Frank Reich announced the defensive shift, he told reporters on Feb. 21: “It’ll be a base 3-4 scheme. But when we get in sub, it’s really multiple. There’s four down [linemen], three down, five down. It’ll all depend on how Ejiro and the defensive staff [wants to’ take advantage of our players’ strengths. We’ll be very multiple, but in our base defense, we’ll be 3-4.”  

Like any scheme, there are strengths and weaknesses to a 3-4. On the plus side, it provides opportunities for athletic ends/outside linebackers to pressure quarterbacks or scamper back to defend against the pass – read and react.  

It also offers creative defensive coaches a chance to disguise alignments. With defensive linemen shuffling positions and linebackers and defensive backs roaming throughout the secondary, the movement intends to confuse QBs into making mistakes.  

With NFL offenses trending toward calling for more multiple receiver sets, tight ends lining up and down the line of scrimmage and running backs effectively serving as slot receivers, Evero preached the 3-4 will be more effective against intricate sets.  

On the negative side, the defense could be exposed by a strong rushing attack if it doesn’t get stout play from the nose tackle and big-play passes if linebackers fail to provide tight coverage.  

Do the Panthers have the players to pull off the defensive shift? 

Scouting the Panthers’ defensive units

Brian Burns and Derrick Brown could prove to be two of the most valuable pieces of the new-look defense. Burns, who should be fully recovered from offseason ankle surgery by training camp, is expected to continue producing All-Pro-worthy sack rates.

Brown’s job will be to help hold down the middle of the line, sometimes lining up over the center, sometimes over a guard.  

“We still need to be stout and stop the run,” Wash said. “We still have to have the ability to get on a guard and affect the quarterback with our defensive ends.”   

Shy Tuttle, Marquan McCall and John Penisini will work to forge a rotational role along the defensive front.  

Linebacker play could be the biggest concern entering training camp.

Shaq Thompson, a 2015 first-round draft pick and a holdover from the Ron Rivera regime, is leading the rag-tag unit.  

“Every guy on the defense looks to him first,” linebackers coach Peter Hansen said.

OTA questions linger:  

• Will Yetur Gross-Matos maintain his strong OTA performances and forge a starting role?

• Will Brandon Smith, a 2022 fourth-round draft pick, combine his physical traits with positional responsibility to create linebacker depth?

• Will an undrafted rookie, like Bumper Pool, emerge as the second coming of Luke Kuechly?

The defensive backs have Jeremy Chinn at safety – sometimes. Other times, Chinn will be in the box or along the front in press coverage or … Evero is just starting to figure out how to implement personnel.   

“(Chinn’s) a weapon that we’re definitely gonna try to utilize,” he said. “And I know that he’s an asset for us to have.”  

Rookie Jammie Robinson, a fifth-round pick, developed a reputation for playing downhill as a run-stopper. His versatility has stood out during OTAs.  

“He’s demonstrated the ability to blitz and he’s also demonstrated the ability to play safety,” secondary and cornerbacks coach Jonathan Cooley said.

Tem Lukabu: ‘It’s been an exciting challenge’

Do the Panthers have the right players to switch to a 3-4? Fluidity is key. With identical on-field personnel, Evero needs the flexibility to change looks on the fly. An effective unit will be able to transform from a three-lineman front to a four- or even a single lineman formation.

“It’s been an exciting challenge for me, and I think the players see it the same way,” outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu said. “There are so many nuances and little things that we can still get better at that will help be the type of defense that we can be down the line.”

Generally, it takes a few seasons for a new coaching staff to implement a new scheme and get the right pieces in place. The Panthers can’t afford to wait. They have a chance to earn a pennant now.  

Competing in the weak NFC South, the transformative Panthers, propelled by young offensive talent, could contend for their first divisional title since 2015.  
The coaching staff remains eager to see what new defense will look like with pads on. But first, as Wash said, the team needs to be excused from “gym class.”

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