Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles (Post 349658)

o


Carolina Panthers


The Panthers have been intentional in how they’ve constructed their defense through free-agency, signing players that fit well into coordinator Ejiro Evero’s system. Last year, they signed cornerback Mike Jackson and safety/nickel Tre’Von Moehrig. Jackson had a career season, and though Moehrig was expensive, his versatility was utilized effectively. This off-season, the Panthers signed edge linebacker Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. Phillips gives the Panthers a stout run defender on the edge, and some much-needed pass rush juice. 2nd-year edge Nic Scourton also played well down the stretch and could develop into an impact starter.

Evero is respected around the league, and has been a serious head coach candidate in recent cycles. Carolina’s poor defensive rankings during his tenure have more to do with injuries and a lack of talent. They still have some major weaknesses, but last season, Evero had the most talented group that he’s had in his 3-years in Carolina. The Panthers ranked 22nd in defensive DVOA, and gave the Rams’ top-ranked offense issues in the regular season and the wild-card round.

Evero is from the Vic Fangio tree, but he hasn’t been able to use as many 2-deep coverages as he wants because of the Panthers’ weakness against the run. They ranked dead-last in defensive rushing success rate in the last 2 seasons. Phillips will help to disrupt outside runs, while Lloyd’s ability to play all over the front, including the line of scrimmage, will allow Evero to get creative with shifting or stemming his fronts before the snap. That will make it harder on offensive lines to execute their blocking schemes.

Last season, the Jaguars, with Lloyd, ranked 3rd in defensive EPA on passes between the numbers, under 15 air yards. The Panthers ranked 26th in the same metric. Lloyd’s pass coverage was a big part of the Jaguars’ ability to cover the middle of the field, and the Panthers hope that his athleticism will improve their secondary and create turnovers. Evero finally has the pieces that he needs to run the system that he wants to. The Panthers have some depth issues, but this should be the year that Evero leads a top-10 defense.


Chicago Bears


The Bears had 2 different defenses last year ...... their early-down defense, and their 3rd-down defense. They ranked 25th in defensive EPA per snap on 1st and 2nd down, but ranked 7th on 3rd down. The Bears ranked 2nd on 3rd-and-4th down with more than 7 yards to the 1st-down marker. The reason was simple ...... they struggled mightily to stop the run. They ranked 26th in defensive rushing success rate, and 27th in explosive rush rate allowed. We saw coordinator Dennis Allen’s ingenuity with his disguises and pressures in obvious passing situations, but the defense didn’t earn enough of those opportunities because it couldn’t stop the run, which resulted in finishing 25th in defensive DVOA.

Have the Bears done enough to shore up the run defense ??? They didn’t upgrade the defensive tackle room much. They added some depth, but Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett remain the starters. The return of cornerback Kyler Gordon, who played only 2 games last season, will help the run defense. Free-agent signing Devin Bush will help as well. 1st-round pick Dillon Thieneman was excellent against the run in college, and will add a disruptive force coming from depth against the run as well.

The weakness at defensive tackle will likely prevent them from being a high-level run defense, but the surrounding pieces could be enough to at least make them average. That would be a force multiplier for them with how good Allen is as a play caller in passing situations. The Bears gave up the 6th-highest explosive run rate in the league last year ...... if they can cut that figure down, it will have a trickle-down effect for the rest of the defense.

Gordon will help their slot coverage tremendously, and free-agent signing Coby Bryant is one of the better free safeties in the league who will make their pass defense even better. Although edge Montez Sweat isn’t an ideal No. 1 rusher, he should be aided by a potential Austin Booker breakout season ...... Booker was affected by injuries, but had 4.5 sacks in his last 6 games, including the playoffs.

o