By the end of the 2018-19 NFL season, the Carolina Panthers defense were a widely talked about squad. Though drastically different from years past, all talk of being great (minus Luke Kuechly) and game changing were essentially dead weeks before the start of the playoffs. Though bright spots shined with the progress of young players Donte Jackson, Andre Carter Jr., Shaq Thompson, and newly resigned playmaker Eric Reid at strong safety, the team could not come together to close out games after the strong start to the season. The young Panthers learned while having growing pains and many of the trusted veterans no longer played to the level expected of Carolina’s longstanding reputation as a defensive minded team.