2 days Ago By Andrew Kusleika, Gridiron Heroics
The Carolina Panthers are in dire straits coming off of two massive losses in the first two weeks and benching their No. 1 overall pick from just a year ago. One player who could be considered a bright spot on the Panthers’ defense was outside linebacker Eku Leota .
Leota was waived by the Panthers Tuesday as they shift things around in an effort to inject life into the season after an 0-2 start. The Carolina Panthers waived their sack leader The issue with waiving Leota that a large contingency of the Panthers faithful have is the fact that Leota is the only player on the Panthers with a full sack. Only defensive lineman Jayden Peevy and linebacker D.
J. Johnson have 0.5 sacks while no other players on the team are on the board in that statistical category.
Sacks aren’t the be-all and end-all quantifier of performance for players in the front seven, but they do indicate performance to some extent. Leota is not near the top of his team in pressure rate as there are five Panthers defenders with a more efficient pressure rate. Defensive lineman Charles Harris leads the team with a 16.
7% QB pressure rate while Leota has a 5% pressure rate. The pass rush in Carolina needs all the help it can get as they retained defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who had the Panthers in dead last with 27 sacks in 2023. Head coach Dave Canales gave high praise to Evero in an article from NFL.
com , but Leota’s waiving might be out of Evero’s control. “Oh my gosh, I mean, just the respect factor that I have going against them,” Canales said of Evero last week, via the team’s official website . “I know this scheme going against it.
I’m really excited to learn more about the ins and outs as far as how the calls come in, the adjustments, and all that. I just know it was really difficult on me for years, whether it was in Seattle going against the Rams in that family or this year just going against EJ twice. “So, and this is really important for me, especially as a first-time head coach.
I’m here to make sure we get our football right, especially on the offensive side, that we have that continuity with the players, with EJ, just being able to have the mentality that I saw that was really challenging to play against. “I mean, this is, for me, what a huge piece of what we’re doing.” Fans are struggling to figure out what the Panthers are up to with such a bizarre roster move, so much so that some are speculating that the Panthers are making space for a big move.
Maybe, they are getting ready to activate Wonnum. — Pops (@lrodriguez013) September 17, 2024 This make me think a QB is on the way. Hope not.
There’s some good edge rushers available as well. — Red Rifle save the panthers (@lionbear23) September 17, 2024 Reddick signing — Jay Henley (@DukeJay_) September 17, 2024 This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission..
