What the Panthers' Starting Defense Could Look Like Following Recent Additions

Carolina may have one of the best defenses in the league this fall.

Over the last week, the Carolina Panthers have made some additions to the linebacker unit by signing veterans Deion Jones and Justin Houston. With those two now in the fold, what could the Panthers' starting defense look like? 

Here's my best guess as of today.

DE Derrick Brown- NT Shy Tuttle - DE Henry Anderson

Brown and Tuttle have locked up starting spots while Henry Anderson and DeShawn Williams continue to battle it out for the other d-end spot. Ejiro Evero will get creative with his fronts, so at times we may see Anderson and Williams on the field in a four down look which kicks Brown inside. Other looks could feature Marquan McCall lined up inside next to Tuttle and maybe Burns comes back down to a defensive end spot in some situations. One thing is certain, Evero will constantly change the picture for the offense. 

OLB Justin Houston - ILB Shaq Thompson - ILB Frankie Luvu - OLB Brian Burns

This group looks significantly better from a depth perspective. Houston likely ends up as the starter, sliding Yetur Gross-Matos and Marquis Haynes Sr. to rotational roles. Deion Jones is talented enough to start but as long as these four are healthy, he'll be rotated in. Luvu has the versatility to bounce outside, so if Evero wants to get Jones on the field, there's a way to do it.

CB Donte Jackson - CB Jaycee Horn

Nothing crazy here. These two are head and shoulders above the rest of the options in the room. The real question is what the Panthers get out of CJ Henderson and Keith Taylor Jr. when they are needed on the field here and there.

FS Jeremy Chinn/Xavier Woods - SS Vonn Bell

Evero would love to have all three of these guys on the field at once and I'm sure we'll get that look quite a bit. It's difficult to really say what the back end of the defense will actually look like with there still being a lot of uncertainty about Chinn's role. 

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