The back of the Carolina Panthers defense is pretty solid—in both play and name value. But that’s as long as you don’t poke any more holes in its frontline.
Pro Football Focus released its secondary rankings ahead of the 2023 season. Coming in at No. 21 is Carolina’s—which boasts the likes of cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Donte Jackson and safeties Jeremy Chinn, Vonn Bell and Xavier Woods.
PFF’s John Kosko writes:
The Panthers’ secondary has the pieces, with two first-round picks and three second-round picks, but they’ve not yet put it together in the NFL. Horn came on strong in his second season and allowed just a 52.6 passer rating on throws into his coverage over the year. The free-agency signing of Bell will help, but the biggest change this team made was to bring in new head coach Frank Reich and his new staff.
That new staff features defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who will be employing a switch to a 3-4 base for the unit. And while the transition and Evero’s track record of coaching up his groups are signs of hope, there’s a reason why the Panthers are 21st on this list.
Outside of Horn and Jackson, who are both currently recovering from foot injuries, there’s not much to speak of at the cornerback spot. Their depth features CJ Henderson, Keith Taylor Jr., Stantley Thomas-Oliver III and three undrafted rookies.
Plus, Chinn—despite his talent and versatility—doesn’t have a defined role just yet. Heck, he might even be playing as more of a linebacker in 2023.
So it seems, from now until the season actually starts, that there’s a lot of figuring out to do for Carolina in their secondary.
