The True Battle: Will Someone Get Left Behind?
One of the issues associated with transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense is that there are some players whose role in the new scheme is far from clear. The best example of this are players who played the edge in a 4-3 but are on the large size to play the outside linebacker in a 3-4 while lacking the size to naturally shift inside.
The clearest example of this on the Panthers 2019 training camp roster is Bryan Cox, Jr., who is probably the most likely to see a move inside in the new scheme at 6-3, 270 pounds, but whose suitability for this move is far from certain. The possible solution to this problem is that if the Panthers are still going to run some 4-3 looks from time-to-time, having somebody who can play the edge in a 4-3 and perhaps kick inside in a 3-4 on passing downs might give Cox a path to the roster.
If not, he either needs to start dieting or packing on the pounds.
The other player who might find himself in this situation is Efe Obada, though for him, the path might be more the other way, looking to focus on playing in space in order to allow for him to play the outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. At 6-6 and 265 pounds, he is probably a little on the heavy side to do this, but losing the five or 10 pounds needed to have the quickness to play in space is probably a more realistic aim than adding the 45 pounds needed to play the 3-tech at his height.
For Obada, this might not be the worst idea in the world, as he originally transitioned to edge having played tight end early on – while there’s certainly no suggestion that this wasn’t a good move on his part, he does have the speed and movement skills to play in space and demonstrated his good awareness and ball skills against the Bengals last season, though whether this translates to his play on the field will be something to watch for in camp.
Only One Question: The Natural Fits
The Panthers’ move to a 3-4 defense could be clearly seen in the players they added at edge this offseason both in free agency and the draft, with the likes of Bruce Irvin, Brian Burns and Christian Miller all being more natural fits as 3-4 OLBs – as is last year’s fourth-round draft pick, Marquis Haynes.
It should be expected that one of Burns or Irvin starts opposite Addison, though which one of the two earns this role for Week 1 is very much something that is likely to be decided as the preseason goes on, with the other and Miller both likely seeing heavy rotation roles – the Panthers are unlikely to move away from the heavy rotation they have used on the defensive line throughout Ron Rivera’s tenure.
The biggest question among this group is Marquis Haynes, whose contribution as a rookie would fit on the back of a stamp, but who is undeniably more suited to play in a 3-4 defense. For him, there are always going to be issues in run defense – at barely 240 pounds, offensive tackles are going to be able to move him with ease on the occasions they are able to get a hand on him, but the biggest disappointment from his rookie season was that even on a team struggling for a pass rush near the end of the season, he wasn’t able to see the field – let alone make an impact.
This training camp and preseason, he is going to have to get pressure on a consistent basis in order to justify a roster spot, as there are too many good edge options on this roster to wait for a 25-year old player to develop.
The New Question: Can Mario Transition?
Mario Addison was undeniably the Panthers best edge rusher last season, and while he has played as a 3-4 OLB in years past, he has very much established himself as a legitimate 4-3 defensive end in recent years. The move to a 3-4 might, on paper, not be the worst idea for Addison’s skillset, but whenever you change what you are asking a player to do, there is the risk that they aren’t as good as what they were being asked to do previously.
It is hard to imagine that Addison’s pass rush is going to take a huge hit from being asked to stand up, at least from an efficiency point of view – if anything, it might help his run defense, but it is far from clear how he is going to fare when asked to drop back into coverage.
How much the Panthers actually ask him to do this is also unclear – with players like Brian Burns, Christian Miller and Bruce Irvin on the roster who are far more suited to and experienced at playing in coverage, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect that Addison still spends most of his passing snaps trying to get to the quarterback, but exactly what his role looks like in 2019 is yet another thing to watch for in training camp.
The Panthers’ 2019 defense has a lot of promise – an awful lot of that stems from the talent they have on the defensive line, both on the interior and on the edge, though with the scheme being new as well as a number of the players, there is likely to be something of an adjustment period early on. That being said, the NFL preseason and the season itself aren’t long enough for the adjustment period to last for too long – if the Panthers are still making mental errors a week into training camp, that wouldn’t be a great sign.
The play of the defensive line likely won’t be something we can fully judge until we get to the actual preseason games – but how the new pieces look working in unison is going to be one of the most intriguing aspects of this final training camp in Spartanburg.
