Almost there: Carolina Panthers DT Kawann Short closing in on dominance

Kawann Short doesn’t have a sack yet this season, but he can sense it coming.

Short, the a third-year defensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers, is more explosive off the ball than he’s ever been, and through two games has been the team’s most dominant interior defensive lineman.

In last week’s victory over the Texans, Short had one of the best games of his career, recording six quarterback pressures. Now it’s a matter of turning those pressures into hits and sacks.

“Getting back there, you want to get him but it’s a game of inches,” Short said. “You’re that one step or that one inch away from getting the sack and the pressures are great as well.”

Short’s ability to get to the passer has gotten better since the Panthers took him in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. When Carolina’s defensive line coach Eric Washington worked him out before the draft, Washington saw a strong defender who had a unique blend of size and power.

“In addition to the athleticism for a guy his size, the thing that really stood out was the power,” Washington said. “Power allows you to improvise the rush. And he has a great combination of that.”

A great example came against Houston. On third-and-1 from the Texans’ 41 at the start of the fourth quarter, Short blew past the left guard and hit quarterback Ryan Mallett as he released a pass that would fall incomplete.

From the snap to when Short hit Mallett, just 2.25 seconds elapsed.

The velocity with which Short comes off the ball is critical. If the 306-pound defensive lineman can anticipate the snap and get into the body of the offensive lineman before he gets into Short’s, Short has already won half the battle.

Short refers to it as “get-off,” and he says it’s getting better.

“That comes with concentration,” Short said. “You know teams are going to jump you or get you with a hard count so it’s about concentration and how bad you want it.”

But Short is not just good in the passing game. His run-stopping abilities have helped the Panthers hold two opponents to an average of 78.5 yards per game and 3.6 yards per attempt, both ranking seventh in the league.

Last week, Houston was so flummoxed by Carolina’s run-stuffing that the Texans abandoned the rush almost entirely. Mallett dropped back 59 times in 82 offensive plays.

“I didn’t even know that,” Short said. “That’s what the defensive line likes: the passing quarterbacks. We try to create sacks but also a lot of pressures. We’ve got to take away the run. That’s the most important thing. Once we get that, everything takes care of itself.”

Short was the second defensive tackle the Panthers took in the 2013 NFL draft behind Star Lotulelei, but it could be argued that he’s been the better tackle of the two since that time.

In limited time his first two seasons, Short produced 71 tackles and five sacks. Lotulelei, who started 29 out of his 30 games in his first two seasons, had 74 tackles and five sacks.

But there’s no rivalry between the two, who could be reunited along the line for the first time since the playoff win against Arizona in January. Lotulelei seems primed to return to the field this week against the Saints.

Short has also added some versatility to his game. He slid outside to defensive end on the final series of last week’s game when Charles Johnson left the game with cramps.

“He’s that guy who can do multiple things across our defensive line,” Lotulelei said. “I’m excited for him to get out there and move around a little bit.”

Short’s elusive first sack could come this week against the Saints. The Panthers got to Drew Brees six times in their two meetings last year, and already Brees has been sacked six times this season.

Brees, who’s battling a shoulder injury and whose availability is in question, likes to get the ball out quickly, which makes getting to the quarterback even tougher for a defensive lineman. But the focus for Short has to stay the same.

“It’s going to be frustrating,” he said. “Just like last week we had good pressures but not a lot of sacks. I’ve played this guy four times already, so you know it’s going to come out fast but you have to rush like he’s going to hold it.

“And that one time he does hold it, you hope to hit him and get him down.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Almost there: Carolina Panthers DT Kawann Short closing in on dominance."