Panthers Tracks: Greg Little’s future has clarity, but the offensive line needs help
When Panthers head coach Matt Rhule spoke with local media this week, he addressed the team’s needs in the NFL draft. He was quick to point out that while they had spent more in free agency on the offensive side of the ball, that didn’t mean that they were finished addressing it.
“For us, obviously we got a lot of guys in free agency on offense. That doesn’t mean, though, in my mind, at least that we won’t draft a guy on offense,” Rhule said. “There’s a thought of, ‘hey, you should throw your fastball.’ If we’re really good on offense, we want to continue to look.”
Carolina addressed the offense over the last month. They signed multiple wide receivers including Robby Anderson, released Cam Newton, brought in Teddy Bridgewater and signed guard John Miller.
But one area of the offense that hasn’t been addressed enough? The offensive line. While they brought in Miller on a one-year deal, he’s just one player. Both of their starting guards from last season will be playing elsewhere in 2020: Trai Turner was traded to the Chargers in exchange for left tackle Russell Okung, and free agent Greg Van Roten signed a three-year deal with the Jets. The depth behind the starters the Panthers have on the line is not substantial enough.
There was significant speculation about the reasoning behind the Turner-Okung trade when it occurred in March, specifically when it came to the future of last year’s second-round pick, left tackle Greg Little, and the one year left on Okung’s deal. When general manager Marty Hurney was asked this week about the trade, which he said was first proposed over email, he shed more light on how he viewed Little’s potential role.
“Trai’s been a great player for us but the ability to get an experienced left tackle, somebody that can help bring Greg along … We think Greg is very talented and has a chance to be a very good player, and maybe have some position flexibility,” Hurney said. “One of the goals of this offseason, and we have plenty of them, is to try to improve the depth of our offensive line and we thought being able to get a left tackle with the ability that Russell Okung has was just — it was very hard to trade Trai, but we thought that was a decision that we wanted to make in the big-picture plan of our offensive line.
“We have all the confidence in the world in Greg, and it just gives him time to come in and get with a guy who has played in this league at a high level for a long time and develop with Greg.”
What does this mean for Little?
There’s no denying that the Panthers drastically improved the left tackle position if Okung, 32, can stay healthy. (He has only played a full 16-game season once in his career.) Giving Little time to learn behind a veteran left tackle will only help him improve and develop, which is a positive, especially considering he played in just four games last year after suffering two concussions and an ankle injury.
Okung will be the starter at left tackle and provide a strong presence that they’ve been missing along the line. This will also be an opportunity the Panthers can take to see if Little would fit at a position other than left tackle, increasing his “position flexibility.” Little played left tackle at Ole Miss, but Hurney’s comments show that they are open to seeing if he could play elsewhere. This year could be a learning period for Little in more ways than one.
How does the Panthers’ offensive line look with the current roster?
The draft is still two weeks away. However, there is only one player on the roster currently listed as a guard (Miller). Dennis Daley will have a better opportunity in his second year at the other guard spot after the Panthers were forced to use him at a variety of roles in 2019. The line suffered multiple injuries last year, and it’s clear why depth was a priority and it’s something Carolina needs to continue to address.
Panthers offensive line depth chart
Left tackle: Okung, Little
Left guard: Dennis Daley, Tyler Larsen, depth needed*
Center: Matt Paradis, Larsen, Chris Reed
Right guard: Miller, Larsen, depth needed
Right tackle: Taylor Moton, depth needed*
*Matt Kaskey, Tyler Marz, Aaron Monteiro provide depth at tackle, but all have the majority of their experience at left tackle
Required reading
+ Fowler: Teddy Bridgewater is just the start. The Panthers still need to draft at QB at No. 7
+ Matt Rhule gave us a lot of info on the Panthers’ approach to 2020. Let’s break it down
+ How the Panthers plan to have a successful NFL draft from the comfort of their own homes
+ How the Panthers value Christian McCaffrey and what makes his contract situation unique
+ Carolina Panthers GM finally explains the team’s process of releasing Cam Newton
