The Panthers made a move to bolster their pass rush.
The Carolina Panthers are scrapping and clawing to get back into the playoff picture, but things aren't exactly goin to plan. The Panthers were blown out in humiliating fashion in Week 5, losing 36-10 on the road against the Chicago Bears.
The offense has improved a little bit since Dave Canales benched second-year quarterback Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton, but it hasn't been enough to make up for the Panthers' porous defense. That unit has been untenable so far this season, and there was no better evidence of that than the Bears offense, which had struggled through the first month of the season, eviscerating them on Sunday.
Following the loss, the Panthers made a move to try to bolster their defensive line. They have signed former Clemson star and longtime Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson to the practice squad, according to John Ellis of 99.7 The Fox.
Lawson has shown that he can be a proven contributor up front in the NFL, and has racked up 26 sacks and 42 tackles for loss in eight NFL seasons. He spent the last two seasons in his second stint in Buffalo and recorded a sack and seven QB hits in 16 games as a rotational pass rusher last season.
Panthers defense weighing down improved offense
The Panthers have been weighed down by one of the worst defenses in the NFL so far this season, and it's hard to see things getting much better anytime soon. They have given up at least 34 points in four out of their five games, as only the Chargers failed to hit that mark in a 26-3 win in Week 2.
Since inserting Andy Dalton, the offense has at least resembled a functional unit, something that couldn't be said with Bryce Young at the helm. Dalton had a rough day in Chicago on Sunday, but had played two solid games leading up to that in a win against the Raiders and a loss to the Bengals. Running back Chuba Hubbard has also emerged as a consistent contributor on that side of the ball.
The defense, on the other hand, has nothing it can hang its hat on. Caleb Williams and the previously-lifeless Bears passing game carved up the Panthers secondary at will on Sunday, as the rookie threw for a very clean 304 yards with two touchdowns. They stopped the Bears running game (not a major achievement), but have struggled mightily against some of the better rushing attacks they've played against. The Chargers, for example, ran for 219 yards in Carolina in Week 2.
The addition of Shaq Lawson should help give a boost to a defensive line that currently has the worst PFF pass rush grade in the NFL right now, but the reality is the Panthers are weak at all three levels right now, and they need a lot of things to change very quickly if they're going to turn things around.
