2019 is going to see enough change already, why force more?
Thomas Davis was the second best linebacker on the Carolina Panthers in 2018. He might have been the second best player on their defense and their is no heir who is apparently ready to step up in his place. The Panthers have drafted an abundance of linebackers in the past eight years and keep shuffling them off as they fail to beat out Davis for playing time.
Former first round pick Shaq Thompson is the closest thing the franchise has to a succession plan for Davis and even he, now entering his fourth year, can’t match the 35-year old man on his nth knee. He lost snaps to Davis down the stretch of 2018 even after the Panthers have publicly spoken about their plans to favor Thompson in their game plans. Maybe Davis is actually the bionic man. Maybe his heart, either spiritual or physical, is actually superhuman.
Whatever the reason, they haven’t been able to replace him despite an effort that looks shamefully desperate given their attention to other positions. If you don’t know what I mean, look at the Panthers draft history at defensive end and offensive tackle since drafting Luke Kuechly — an athlete they originally started at Davis’ weakside position after his third ACL tear in three years.
Davis may be finally slowing down. He has had fewer tackles the last two seasons than in any other full season since his rookie year. Let’s ignore the fact that Davis didn’t play a full season in 2018. He served a four game suspension at the start of the season for a violation of the NFL’s performance enhancing drug policy.
His recent statistics are imperfect evidence of his decline. The Panthers’ defense has been transforming with the NFL to a landscape where the old nickel (five defensive backs) sub-package is almost more common than a ‘base’ defensive formation featuring three or four linebackers. It comes as no surprise that Davis’ stats are depressed when there are fewer snaps to go around and the coaching staff has plans to share those unequally, with Davis receiving the smaller portion.
Speaking of a smaller portion, Thompson’s contract for 2019 pays him $3 million more than what Davis made in 2018. There is no grounded argument for letting Davis walk and keeping Thompson in an effort to save against a tight 2019 salary cap.
For all their efforts, the Panthers have had no success in establishing a reason to move on from Davis. He has been the heart of their team for years and this team needs that after last season more than ever. They have no answer on the field for his loss. Forcing him out compounds the loss of Julius Peppers and Ryan Kalil in the locker room. I am struggling to find a positive effect to not re-signing him. Maybe general manager Marty Hurney has a bold new strategy wherein creating additional problems is the solution to the woes that plagued this team in 2018. If not then he should reconsider his position and re-sign Thomas Davis.
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