Magicgames II » The Panthers are currently lacking depth

at defensive tackle Womens Curtis Samuel Jersey , a position that requires a rotation of large men to eat blockers and collapse the pocket. Where’s the Love?" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteCat Scratch Readera Carolina Panthers communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsAboutPanthersOddsShopStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomFiled under:Carolina Panthers free agency 2019All out of love? Why the Panthers should re-sign veteran DT Kyle LoveNew,44comments The Panthers are currently lacking depth at defensive tackle, a position that requires a rotation of large men to eat blockers and collapse the pocket. Where’s the Love?EDTShareTweetShareShareAll out of love? Why the Panthers should re-sign veteran DT Kyle LoveBill Streicher-USA TODAY SportsWhile general manager Marty Hurney has done a commendable job thus far in free agency shoring up the Panthers weak spots, there is one player from Carolina’s 2018 roster who is still a free agent and should probably be brought back into the fold. That man — and that marvelous belly — is defensive tackle Kyle Love.The Panthers defensive tackle situation today is less than ideal. Kawann Short is a beast and coming off his second Pro Bowl season, so no concerns there. Dontari Poe was a big-money free agent signing in 2018 but didn’t have the impact many of us had hoped for (17 tackles, one sack, three quarterback hits). Vernon Butler hasn’t lived up to his 2016 first round draft pick status with just 45 career tackles and two sacks in 38 largely ineffective games. The only other defensive tackles currently on the roster are Woodrow Hamilton and Elijah Qualls.Depth is always needed at defensive tackle because players are rotated out so frequently to catch their breath. The position is often a four-man rotation where even the third and fourth players on the depth chart play a lot of snaps. In 2018, for example, Kawann Short played in 59 percent of Carolina’s defensive snaps while fellow starter Dontari Poe played in 52 percent. Filling in the gaps were Love with 47 percent and Butler with 33 percent. The defensive tackle position normally requires four capable players, and as of today the Panthers only have two in Short and Poe. All eyes will be on Butler in 2019 with the hope he has a breakout season and avoids the “first round bust” label Womens Donte Jackson Jersey , but if that doesn’t happen then the Panthers are shockingly thin at defensive tackle.Kyle Love has proven to be a capable rotational player with a reasonable cap hit during his five season season in Carolina. He just completed a two-year, $2.2 million contract and remains a free agent so my assumption is he could be signed to a deal somewhere near the $1.1 million he made on his last last contract, but that’s just speculation on my part. While the Panthers have limited cap space, that’s not a bad cap hit for a proven veteran who can be counted on to play nearly half of then team’s defensive snaps. And as far as the cap goes, there’s a certain wide receiver with a $5.0 million cap hit who can still be released before the season to free up some additional funds (Torrey Smith, I’m looking in your general direction.)It’s hard to assess how productive defensive tackles are by just looking at traditional stats like tackles and sacks so let’s look at how both Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference graded the Panthers defensive tackles in 2018. PFF was high on Love as his 77.3 grade ranked No. 31 among interior defensive linemen. This puts Love behind Short (83.7) but ahead of Poe (69.0) and Butler (63.5). On the other hand, Pro Football Reference gave Love an Approximate Value (AV) of 2 in 2018, which isn’t good.This trailed both Short (8) and Poe (6), but once again put him ahead of Butler (1). At age 32 Love’s best years are probably behind him, but the Panthers should be in win-now mode and can prioritize production over youth in some cases. Plus DJ Moore Jersey White , Love has shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, PFF named him as the Panthers most improved player of 2018. The big guy still has some gas left in the tank.Because the Panthers have more pressing needs to address in the draft than defensive tackle, bringing Kyle Love back on a reasonable deal makes a lot of sense to me. He would provide capable depth at a position that will always need it, all without breaking the bank. What’s not to love about that? Taylor Heinicke’s starting NFL debut was one he’d rather forget than remember, and the Carolina Panthers continue limping to the end of 2018."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomPanthers 10 Falcons 24 recap: Taylor Heinecke plays without a left arm or a left tackle; Panthers lose againNew,110commentsTaylor Heinicke’s starting NFL debut was one he’d rather forget than remember, and the Carolina Panthers continue limping to the end of 2018.ByErik Sommers@Tater596Dec 23, 2018,6:49pm ESTShareTweetShareSharePanthers 10 Falcons 24 recap: Taylor Heinecke plays without a left arm or a left tackle; Panthers lose againJeremy Brevard-USA TODAY SportsIt was a day of insanity for the Carolina Panthers, as the same things that have haunted them all season long https://www.pantherslockerroom.com/authentic-donte-jackson-jersey , or for several seasons, were the exact reasons they couldn’t win the football game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The offensive line gave new starter Taylor Heinicke only the slimmest of opportunities as he filled in for Cam Newton, and the defensive line continued to fail to generate sacks with a four man rush, especially without Kawann Short.It all started off about the way you’d expect. Taylor Heinicke fumbled his first snap under center, only to pick it up again and charge ahead for a three yard gain. The team ended up scoring a touchdown on the drive, but it would be the only time today that they would accomplish that feat. The score was knotted up at 10-10 by halftime, but on the very first offensive play after the half, the Falcons went deep on a busted coverage to take a 17-10 lead that they never looked back from.The offense never had much of a chance, as third string left tackle Marshall Newhouse played one of the worst games I have ever witnessed from an NFL offensive lineman, resulting in constant pressure on an already nervous (and injured) backup quarterback. Thankfully Christian McCaffrey Jersey White , the skills of Christian McCaffrey were enough to make this game respectable as he once again busted through the 100 yard rushing barrier, as well as setting several records on the day. McCaffrey’s records included most receptions in team history by ANY player of any position and most receptions in league history by a running back in a single season.In week 17, I wouldn’t be surprised if the keys to this offense are handed over to third string quarterback Kyle Allen, as he played pretty well in spot duty today, completing all four of his passes. Also, there is a good chance that the injury to Heinicke’s non-throwing arm could keep him out of the contest as well. Either way, the Carolina Panthers are officially out of playoff contention now, and it is time to switch into evaluation mode... and there is a LOT to evaluate.