Jared Allen’s return to 4-3 defense could kick-start Panthers’ pass rush

When the Panthers hit the practice field Wednesday morning, Jared Allen will be in a new city but an old spot.

Allen, acquired Monday in a trade with Chicago, is expected to line up at right defensive end after struggling at outside linebacker after the Bears shifted to a 3-4 defense under first-year coach John Fox.

Allen’s arrival coincides with left defensive end Charles Johnson’s exit for at least two months. The Panthers placed Johnson, who has a severe hamstring injury, on injured reserve Tuesday with the designation to return.

That means Johnson will be out a minimum of eight weeks. The earliest he could play in a game is Thanksgiving day at Dallas.

Second-year end Kony Ealy will slide to the left side to make way for Allen, whose 134 sacks are the most among active players and ninth all-time.

But Allen, 33, had only one sack over his final seven games with Chicago, spanning the end of last season and the start of the 2015 when the Bears to switched to a 3-4 under new coordinator Vic Fangio.

Allen didn’t feel comfortable as a stand-up linebacker, and met Monday morning with Bears general manager Ryan Pace to discuss the situation. By the end of the day, he was on a plane to Charlotte.

The Panthers hope a change of scenery and the chance for Allen to put his hand in the ground as a traditional 4-3 end will kick-start a pass rush that was stagnant even before Johnson was injured.

After watching four game tapes of Allen – two against Carolina in 2013 and ’14, and two from this season – and talking with two players who’ve blocked him, here’s what I think the Panthers should expect to get from Allen:

A variety of pass-rush moves

Allen, Kansas City’s fourth-round pick out of Idaho State in 2004, has never been a speed rusher.

At 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, he most often relies on his strength to bull-rush his way into the backfield. But he’ll also employ swim moves to elude offensive tackles, and can dip and rip to get to the quarterback.

Late in the Panthers’ 35-10 win against Minnesota in 2013, Allen ducked around former Carolina left tackle Jordan Gross and hit quarterback Cam Newton as he released the ball. Newton’s pass was knocked down by another defender.

Earlier in the game, Allen bull-rushed tight end Greg Olsen and pushed him back nearly into Newton.

But Allen did not have a sack in the game in which coach Ron Rivera’s fourth-down gambles earned him the “Riverboat Ron” nickname.

Gross said Allen has a “plethora of moves,” although “none of it’s incredibly fast-twitch.”

“He’ll bull-rush you. He’ll spin. He’ll make you think more than you want to,” Gross said. “Very good at reading your stance, too. So if I was tipping a stance, if I was going to jump in, he’d come inside real quick.”

Allen, who signed a three-year, $24 million deal with Chicago before the 2014 season, did not have a sack against the Panthers last year, either. Byron Bell, Gross’ oft-criticized successor, did a nice job locking out on Allen, with occasional help from a tight end or running back.

Panthers backup tight end Ed Dickson was among those who kept Allen off Newton last year.

“He’s a wily veteran. He knows exactly how to use his hands. He has a nose to get to the quarterback,” Dickson said. “There’s a couple guys around this league that are like him and I’m glad he’s in our colors now.”

He’ll get his hands on the ball

Rivera wants the team’s defensive linemen, if they can’t get to the quarterback, to get their hands up and knock down more passes.

Allen should be a great help with this.

In addition to his size, Allen is not afraid to expose his ribs by throwing his hands up into a passing lane.

In the Bears’ Week 2 loss at Arizona this year, left tackle Jared Veldheer left Allen unblocked when the Cardinals tried to set up a tunnel screen for rookie wideout J.J. Nelson.

But Allen sniffed it out, jumped and batted Carson Palmer’s pass into the air with his right hand. Allen dove for the ball and corralled it for his sixth career interception.

In the Panthers-Bears game last year in Charlotte, Allen used an inside rush against Bell, stuck his left hand up and knocked down Newton’s pass for Kelvin Benjamin, who had run a slant route.

“He’s tall. He’s taller than I am (with) long arms,” said Gross, who is 6-4. “He’s a big guy.”

Maximum effort, particularly on pass plays

Gross, who retired after the 2013 season, said Allen was “a big-time effort” player, especially in obvious passing situations.

“I know when I would prepare to go against him you knew he was one of those guys you had to keep blocking and keep blocking and keep blocking,” said Gross, now part of the Panthers’ broadcast team.

Gross described Allen as opportunistic, saying on “third-and-10, he’s going to come and know that’s when he makes his money.”

With the Panthers facing a third-and-short on their first drive at Minnesota in 2013, Allen spun to the inside against Gross, leaving the outside open for Newton. Allen gave chase and dove at Newton’s feet but missed the tackle, allowing Newton to run 6 yards for a first down.

A tendency at times to get caught inside

That play illustrated something else that showed up in the small-sample film study: a tendency to lose containment on occasion.

During the third quarter of the Bears’ 26-0 loss at Seattle last weekend, Allen was in a stand-up alignment near the line of scrimmage on first-and-10. When running back Thomas Rawls ran right, Allen took a couple steps inside and couldn’t get off tight end Cooper Helfet’s block.

So there was no defender on the edge when Rawls bounced the run outside for 21 yards.

A number of Allen’s interior pass rushes were by design: He’d stunt inside while a defensive tackle looped around him. Gross said he’s looking forward to seeing Allen stunt with Panthers veteran defensive tackle Dwan Edwards.

A rotational player at this point in his career

The Panthers need a boost with Johnson out and Ealy yet to get on track. But they’ll have to be mindful of Allen’s snap counts.

He was in for 43 of the 59 defensive snaps in Chicago’s Week 1 loss to Green Bay, then he played 30 snaps in each against Arizona and Seattle. The poor scheme fit certainly contributed to Allen’s playing time.

But even last year in the Bears’ 4-3 look, Allen wasn’t playing every down. In the Week 5 loss at Carolina, Allen was on the sideline for the Panthers’ third series.

Gross predicted Allen wouldn’t want to be in every rep.

“None of those D-ends ever want to, especially when you get 12 seasons under your belt,” Gross said. “I’m sure he’ll have to play more until Charles is back.”

Besides being a good fit schematically, Gross thinks Allen will fit in well in the locker room. And Gross believes Allen still has something to offer as an edge rusher.

“You don’t get 134 sacks by accident,” Gross said.

 

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 7:31 PM with the headline "Jared Allen’s return to 4-3 defense could kick-start Panthers’ pass rush."