Panthers mailbag: Are defensive woes the result of injuries, talent or the play-caller?

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Well, the good vibes didn’t last long in Carolina.

The Panthers are now 1-4 , the defense is in shambles , and Andy Dalton’s revival tour only created a brief reprieve from the offensive doldrums of the past 18 months.

Naturally, Panthers fans have questions about the team’s prolonged struggles. The Observer has brought back the Panthers mailbag to answer the inquiries of the Carolina faithful.

Here are some questions from social media:

What’s the deal with the defense?

Cheryl Lynn asks: I’m very concerned about the defense! Maybe (Ejiro) Evero’s style doesn’t work or is it lack of talent? I just don’t know, but it needs to be addressed!

Mike Kaye: The Panthers came into the season with a paper thin depth chart on defense, as Carolina doubled down on its bet on Bryce Young by surrounding him with a better supporting cast. Frankly, the Panthers didn’t have much of a choice after sending a treasure trove of assets to Chicago for the No. 1 pick last year. That’s part of the issue with trading up for a QB with a suboptimal roster.

If Young continued to struggle after the talent influx (spoiler: he did ), it wouldn’t matter if the defense was stacked with talent.

Essentially, the Panthers, with the trade up for Young and the subsequent failure to develop him, have created a cycle of frantically plugging holes while the ship takes on water. If the offensive upgrades improved Young’s performance as intended, the offense would have given the defense a much bigger margin for error.

Unfortunately, through five weeks and a QB change, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s group has had little wiggle room for mistakes. Still, the unit has been putrid by all standards this season.

The Panthers’ defense currently ranks 28th in total yardage allowed (371.2), 27th in rushing yards allowed (144.6) and 21st in passing yards allowed (226.6). It’s also giving up 33 points per game, which ranks last in the league by a wide margin.

The Cincinnati Bengals, who rank No. 31 in points allowed average, are giving up 29 points per game, which is a four-point gap from Carolina’s basement-dwelling number.

The Panthers had an OK but aging first-team defense on paper. Their second-team group was always troubling, especially when you consider how much the team openly shared their optimism for the waiver wire, which was used to restock the empty shelves on defense following training camp.

Unfortunately, most defenses are two or three major injuries away from a huge drop off in production. For the Panthers, two or three major injuries meant death by a thousand cuts (or maybe just like 30 run plays by the opposing offense). Losing Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Brown (knee) in Week 1 was a major blow, and those body shots have kept on coming ever since.

Brown, Shaq Thompson, Josey Jewell, Jadeveon Clowney, Dane Jackson, DJ Wonnum and Jordan Fuller were all supposed to be major contributors on defense this season. Brown and Thompson are done for the year, while Jackson and Wonnum have yet to appear in a game due to injury. Fuller is on injured reserve, while Jewell and Clowney are currently battling injuries.

It doesn’t matter what scheme the Panthers are playing with those types of injuries and the backup depth that was forged together by tape and glue.

Evero’s unit has struggled against the run — especially with tackling — throughout his tenure . It’s fair to put some of that (and the consistent communication issues) on him, especially after the front office went out of its way to build his defense with a bunch of former Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos defenders . Those familiar faces have done little to alleviate issues in coverage or on the ground. Yes, the team lost Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu and Donte Jackson this offseason, but it’s not like the front office completely sat on its hands with the unit this offseason.

Jewell, Fuller, A’Shawn Robinson and Nick Scott, despite their respective backgrounds with Evero, have done little to make up for the notable castaways through five weeks. It turns out that the understanding of a scheme doesn’t make up for a lack of top-tier talent.

In summary, the dramatic defensive downturn is largely a talent issue, but Evero and his staff aren’t free of blame.

Defensive overhaul on the way?

@ Cerea1Kira asks: With the defense playing this bad, should the Panthers prioritize fixing the defense before trying to make another shot at QB? (If they move on from Bryce of course.)

Covering the Panthers has taught this beat writer that all logical thoughts have holes in them when it comes to Carolina. Even the most sane decisions can falter with this franchise.

That said, as brought up in the previous answer, the Panthers are in a cycle of plugging holes. In theory, improving the defense would help, but that’s also the strategy the previous regime took before trading up for Young last offseason. And as it turns out, all of the progress they made on defense left the cupboard empty on offense. This offseason, the front office did the whole “ let’s fix the offense ” thing, and that has seemingly burned the Panthers on defense .

Listen, The Observer has found logic in a lot of what the Panthers have done over the past two years. However, that logic hasn’t lent itself to success on the field, and the Panthers (and their fans) have paid dearly for it. Teams are going to be wrong, but the Panthers’ mistakes are highlighted because they’ve had an overwhelming string of failures . Even the sound decisions that have paid off have gone unnoticed because the totality of the football product is consistently terrible.

Ultimately, the Panthers should think more universally than just improving one side of the ball next offseason. The team needs improvements at every level of the defense. It also could use better depth at tight end. The wide receiver room has worked to be done as well with Diontae Johnson’s deal set to expire. And, obviously, QB is a big one, too.

This beat writer would go after a veteran QB next year, regardless of if Young is done or not. This team is a ways away, but a veteran QB — perhaps one younger and more athletic than Dalton — could at least keep the offense competitive on a regular basis.

Tanking for talent?

Bernie asks: How likely is it that we will get the #1 draft pick?

Well, Bernie, there’s some competition brewing right now.

There are currently six teams with 1-4 records entering Week 6. According to Tankathon , the Panthers are currently placed behind the five others on that list due to strength of schedule percentage.

The New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams stand in the way of the Panthers’ potential No. 1 pick. But the Panthers have only a few more opportunities against lowly squads this season, so a long losing streak could help them gain ground (if you’re into that sort of thing). As of now though, the other five teams have played teams with worse combined records.

Either way, the Panthers seem destined for a top-five selection. A pass rusher of some sort should be at the top of the priority list regardless of who is on the coaching staff or in the front office. With how things have gone with Canales and Young, drafting another QB early doesn’t seem like all that favorable of a solution.