The Carolina Panthers defense was supposed to be good in 2018. They lost defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes to a head coaching job in Arizona, but defensive line coach Eric Washington was supposed to be ready for the role. The front seven was old, but it had talent. The back end should’ve been good enough to capitalize on a good front seven.
But none of that happened. A strong season opener against the Cowboys proved to be a false omen, and the Panthers freefell down the defensive rankings as the season wore on. It resulted in Eric Washington’s de facto demotion and Ron Rivera’s takeover of the defensive play calling.