A wise quarterback once said, “You’re only as good as your offensive line” and that could not be truer in the current state of the NFL. Look at Houston’s situation with Deshaun Watson or Green Bay’s with Aaron Rodgers; both quarterbacks are incredibly talented but both spend more time scrambling from defenders than in the pocket.
Since coming into the NFL, Cam Newton has been the most hit quarterback and leads by a large margin. Now a lot of that has to do with his style of play and his 929 career rushing attempts. However, a lot of the blame goes to the Carolina Panthers and their inability to put together an offensive line capable of protecting their quarterback. Going into 2018, Newton had been sacked 35 or more times every season of his career and had finished in the top 10 of most sacked quarterbacks every year.
2018 was a different story though as the Panthers were able to piece together an offensive line that only allowed 29 sacks of Newton. It was no surprise that Newton had his best season as a passer while the Panthers offense finished with the fourth-best rushing offense.
Offensive linemen may not collect stats but there are certainly other ways to grade them. So let’s take a look at how the individuals on the Panthers offensive line did in 2018.
A Review on the Carolina Panthers 2018 Offensive Line
The (Really) Late Addition: Chris Clark
2018: 13 starts, Pro Football Focus Grade: 60.9
The Panthers were decimated at the tackle position during the preseason as Daryl Williams and Matt Kalil went down with knee injuries. Williams, however, was able to miraculously recover in time to start Week One against the Dallas Cowboys only to suffer another knee injury that put him on the injured reserve. In preparation for Week 2, the Panthers made the call for free agent Chris Clark who went the entire off-season unsigned.
It was not the most ideal of situations but Clark went on to fill in nicely at the left tackle spot. There were a handful of games in which Clark played exceptionally but there were other instances where he struggled badly as he did against the Pittsburgh Steelers allowing three pressures. No matter how you look at it, Panthers fans can’t be too unhappy with Clark’s 2018 season because the 33-year old kept Kalil and other incapable offensive tackles off the field.
2018 Overall Grade: C+
2019 Prediction: Carolina chooses not to re-sign, Clark signs with another team in free agency
Andrew Norwell 2.0?: Greg Van Roten
2018: 16 Starts, Pro Football Focus Grade: 59.8
Before coming to Carolina in 2017, Greg Van Roten did not have much of a football career. The guard went undrafted, was bounced from one practice squad to another, spent time in the Canadian Football League and had not recorded a single NFL start in his career. When Amini Silatolu became injured during preseason, Van Roten was thrown into the starting role.
The University of Penn graduate went on to be a big factor in the run game throughout the 2018 season. His ability to pull really helped free up holes for Christian McCaffrey on the right side as shown in the video below. Van Roten’s pass protection could get better going forward but for a guy who was projected to be a backup, he made the coaching staff and front office very happy.
Greg Van Roten (#73) has been really good this season, makes a great block for McCaffrey on a pull. pic.twitter.com/XQhdpnM769
— Johnny Kinsley (@Brickwallblitz) October 11, 2018
2018 Overall Grade: B-
2019 Prediction: Continues to be a starting left guard unless Carolina makes a splash in free agency or the NFL Draft
A Bittersweet Farewell: Ryan Kalil
2018 Season: 16 starts, Pro Football Focus Grade: 63.6
As many Panthers fans already know, longtime center Ryan Kalil hinted that 2018 will be his last in the NFL. The injuries piled up over the last few years but in surprising fashion, Kalil was able to play all 16 games in 2016. The leader of the offensive line had a great year opening up holes in the run game. Unfortunately for him and Julius Peppers, the Panthers were unable to make a playoff run in their final season but both will be remembered as franchise all-time greats.
2018 Overall Grade: B+
2019 Prediction: Spends his Sundays golfing
The Pro Bowler: Trai Turner
2018 Season: 13 starts, Pro Football Focus Grade: 64.5
Despite the Pro Bowl selection, 2018 was considered a down-year by Trai Turner‘s standards. The former third-round selection had a very productive year in the run game but struggled at times to protect the quarterback. But when Turner can do this on a consistent basis on kick-out blocks, the coaching staff will be pleased nonetheless.
This is a great encapsulation of why I love Trai Turner and OL play so much. Watch this effort by Turner on the pull. The DB on the edge wants NO part + the giddy up from Turner once he realizes McCaffrey is still running? OL play > #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/XO56NPM5rA
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) November 6, 2018
Turner did miss three games in 2018 due to a concussion and it took him a bit to find his groove again. Going forward, Turner can improve upon his pass blocking so that the right side of the offensive line is not a concern for Newton or the coaching staff.
2018 Overall Grade: B+
2019 Prediction: Turner goes on to make his fifth straight Pro Bowl, gets first-team All-Pro selection
The Hero We Didn’t Know We Needed: Taylor Moton
2018 Season: 16 starts, Pro Football Focus Grade: 76.2
When the injury bug hit the Panthers offensive tackle position during preseason, fans went into panic mode. Little did they know that 2017 second-round draft pick Taylor Moton was a more than capable replacement. The former Western Michigan tackle was Carolina’s best lineman in 2018 and played a huge part in giving Newton a clean pocket. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed his blocking assignment to hit the quarterback only four times the entire 2018 season.
The biggest surprise in Moton’s game was how quick he was for someone that is 6’5″ and 325 pounds. Look here as he’s able to hit the initial double team and then execute a kick-out block for a read option play.
.@Panthers @CameronNewton makes the #panthers the most difficult team to defend in the league v the run. #TaylorMoton has added a wrinkle which makes defending the “read/option game more difficult #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/C4TD2UzZ1H
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) October 20, 2018
2018 Overall Grade: A
2019 Prediction: The Panthers starting left tackle and gets selected to his first Pro Bowl.
The Rest
It was an unfortunate year for Williams. The tackle was in a contract year but injuries kept him off the field. Williams most likely won’t receive a big contract this off-season which gives the Panthers a good opportunity to re-sign him on a short-term ‘prove it’ type deal.
Tyler Larsen has served as the Panthers backup center the past couple seasons when Kalil as gone down, but his versatility allowed him to fill in at right guard for the three games Turner missed. Larsen could find himself as the starting center next year if Ryan Kalil does make his retirement official this off-season.
The Panthers traded for Marshall Newhouse in late September as an insurance piece and to provide depth in case either of the tackles got injured. Newhouse appeared mostly on special teams and made two starts late in the season when Clark suffered a knee injury during Week 15. The Panthers will likely move on from Newhouse come this off-season.
The Future
The Panthers have the chance to completely revamp the offensive line this off-season. With Ryan Kalil’s retirement, Newhouse and Williams set to be free agents and Matt Kalil‘s incapability to live up to his big contract, expect the Panthers to address the position group in free agency and potentially the draft.
Ja’Wuan James highlights what is a relatively thin tackle class in free agency this off-season. The Panthers may try to make a move for him but if the price is too steep, expect them to drop interest. The center market in free agency is even thinner with Nick Easton, Mitch Morse, and Matt Paradis as the only potential starters. Easton has familiarity with Norv Turner from his time in Minnesota so expect the Panthers to have some interest in him.
The Panthers have typically not drafted offensive linemen in the first round but center prospects Michael Jordan and Garrett Bradbury are most likely going to be available on day two of the draft. Bradbury’s size and style of play are very similar to Ryan Kalil’s which could make for an easy transition. Jordan has experience playing guard along with center offering plenty of versatility to the Panthers offensive line. And with a name like his, it only makes sense for him to live in North Carolina.
Day two offensive tackle prospects include Andre Dillard out of Washington State, Dalton Risner out of Kansas State and David Edwards out of Wisconsin. A prospect on the rise to keep an eye out for is Sioux Falls Trey Pipkins, who had a very impressive week at the East-West Shrine game. Pipkins could be a late day two pick or an early day three for Carolina.
