Analyzing the Panthers’ weak offensive line and what options they have in 2020
The Panthers started the offseason by losing two veterans. Linebacker Luke Kuechly announced his retirement and tight end Greg Olsen was cut in the first month of 2020.
The next big move for the Panthers was a surprise and involved the position group that dealt with some of the most inconsistency last season.
Carolina’s offensive line had a significant amount of injuries throughout 2019, and no other team gave up more sacks. Just last week, the Panthers tentatively agreed to trade guard Trai Turner, who was with the team for six seasons, to the Chargers in exchange for veteran left tackle Russell Okung once the league year begins March 18. Okung comes to Carolina with a significant amount of experience and strong performances at left tackle, but the 32-year old has dealt with several injuries throughout his career.
What’s next for the offensive line? What questions still need to be answered?
Here’s a breakdown of the Panthers’ offensive line:
Panthers offseason position analysis:
WHAT WENT RIGHT IN 2019
One of the areas that the line was best at in 2019 was supporting Christian McCaffrey. The Panthers finished the season fourth in rushing yards per game (133.5) and with the second-most runs of 10-plus yards (69).
McCaffrey gets a lot of the credit for having more than 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards he was able to accumulate in 2019, and deservedly so. But he couldn’t have done it without the line, and especially considering its variety of forms throughout the season, the group was impressively able to assist him in having a special season.
The two most consistent pieces on the line were Turner, a Pro Bowl alternate, and right tackle Taylor Moton, who could be up for a contract extension this offseason.
WHAT WENT WRONG IN 2019
Injuries. The Panthers traded up to draft left tackle Greg Little in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft and then he played in only four games after suffering two concussions and an ankle injury. Inconsistency at the left tackle position ended up being a major issue and helped lead to Kyle Allen suffering 46 sacks, the third-most by a player in a single season in franchise history.
Center Matt Paradis had an up-and-down season, allowing 40 hurries (per Pro Football Focus), the most on the team. The youth and inexperience of Dennis Daley, a 2019 sixth-round pick, was a major issue; he was forced to start nine games due to injuries across the line. Daryl Williams gave up 12 total sacks, per PFF, and had a rocky season overall.
Carolina had many different versions of its offensive line because of inconsistencies and the problems showed throughout the year.
UNDER CONTRACT (11)
*All contract numbers are per Spotrac
T Russell Okung (Entering final year of 4-year, $53 million contract, due $13 million this year)
Okung, who won’t officially be a Panther until the league year begins March 18, will be the solid piece at left tackle that Carolina has been searching for. But he is an expensive left tackle and one that has only played one 16-game season in his career. Consistency is a concern, but he will have a big presence for the offense on and off the field.
T Greg Little (Entering second year of 4-year, $7.6 million contract)
Injuries plagued Little’s rookie year and it will be interesting to see what the Panthers’ plan is for the tackle in his second year. He only played left tackle in college and with the trade for Okung, Carolina doesn’t need another left tackle. 2020 could be a learning or redshirt year for Little behind Okung, or the Panthers could try him elsewhere.
OL Dennis Daley (Entering second year of 4-year, $2.6 million contract)
Daley started more games in 2019 than the Panthers planned, and with mixed results. Whether he’s a backup (at multiple positions) in 2020 will depend on what the team does in the draft and free agency.
T Taylor Moton (Entering final year of 4-year, $4.2 million contract)
One of the solid pieces returning to next year’s line, Moton, similar to McCaffrey, has one year left on his deal and will be a strong candidate for an extension this offseason. As the Panthers continue to build the team for the future, Moton would be a good piece to lock up.
T Garrett McGhin (Entering final year of 2-year, $1 million contract)
Signed to the Panthers’ practice squad in Week 11, McGhin made appearances in two games last year.
T Matt Kaskey (Entering final year of 2-year, $1 million contract)
Kaskey was on and off the team’s practice squad throughout the season and was signed to the active roster in the final week of the year, but did not play.
T Tyler Marz (1-year, $660,000 contract).
Marz was signed to the team’s practice squad in Week 16 and then was given a reserve future contract for the 2020 season.
T Aaron Monteiro (1-year, $510,000 contract)
Signed to the team’s practice squad in Week 11. Monteiro was given a reserve future contract for the 2020 season.
C Matt Paradis (Entering second year of 3-year, $29 million contract)
Paradis had his moments throughout the 2019 season, but, along with Okung, he is a good veteran presence. On top of that, he is consistent. He is one of the only lineman to have played and started all 16 games last year. That can’t be overstated for a lineman.
C Tyler Larsen (Entering final year of 2-year, $4.3 million contract)
Playing in all 16 games in 2019, Larsen was a sturdy backup piece for the Panthers. He can play guard and center and is likely to continue to fill that role in 2020.
C Chris Reed (Entering final year of 2-year, $3 million contract)
The Panthers claimed Reed off waivers from the Dolphins in Week 14 and appeared in three games on special teams.
Free Agent (5)
G Greg Van Roten
The Panthers would be smart to bring Van Roten back. At 30-years old, the guard would be a good piece to have going forward to help build an experienced and consistent offensive line. Before his 2019 season ended early due to a foot injury, Van Roten was playing well and had been the only offensive player to have played every snap up until that point. In 2018, he was the only Panther to play 100 percent of offensive snaps (1,058).
OL Daryl Williams
It seems less likely that the Panthers bring Williams back. He gave up the most sacks of any Panthers offensive lineman (12 with the next closest player, Daley, allowing seven) and struggled throughout the season after returning from a knee injury in 2018. The 27-year old may be playing on a new team for the first time in his NFL career.
G Brandon Greene — ERFA
The Panthers have not yet offered him a new deal as an exclusive-rights free agent. Greene spent the majority of 2019 on injured reserve.
G Kitt O’Brien — ERFA
The Panthers have not yet offered O’Brien a new deal as an exclusive-rights free agent. He spent the entire 2019 season on injured reserve.
T/TE Dillon Gordon - RFA
Gordon also spent all of 2019 on injured reserve. He is a restricted free agent, which means the Panthers can tender him a contract and then match any offer made by a different team, if they desire.
OFFSEASON NEEDS
The Panthers still have more work to do on this line for 2020. They are potentially losing two players who made significant impacts to free agency and just traded the team’s right guard who had been in that spot for six years. Both starting guards in 2019 won’t be on the roster in 2020 and the team doesn’t have much depth at the position.
Securing a left tackle in Okung seems like just the starting point. Re-signing Van Roten would make sense as the next move. Either way, the Panthers will likely bring in more pieces in free agency and, if not, surely through the draft. There is a lot of offensive line talent in this year’s draft class that may be enticing to Carolina. This is not a team that will be afraid of drafting a player with raw ability and then building and teaching him overtime.
With the trade of Turner and the two years left of his deal, it seems more likely that the Panthers will look to cheaper options to build the line for the long-term with Okung as a veteran leader. But with this group, anything is on the table. What we do know is that with Williams and Van Roten potentially hitting free agency, the line will look different this year than in 2019. It wouldn’t be surprising to see some players already on the roster in new roles.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Analyzing the Panthers’ weak offensive line and what options they have in 2020."
