Matt Rhule's "Positionless" Approach To Defense

Matt Rhule will look at his defensive personnel as positionless to get the best combination of players on the field at once.

Matt Rhule addressed the media for the first time since free agency began Wednesday afternoon, discussing a variety of topics including what holes the Panthers need to fill heading into the NFL Draft that is just over two weeks away.

The team has added several skilled players on offense in free agency that includes signing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and adding another skilled receiver to the roster in Robby Anderson. Carolina has made moves to improve a porous offense from 2019 but still has several holes that desperately need to be filled on the defensive side of the ball due to losing eight of their 11 starters from 2019. Luke Kuechly, Gerald McCoy, James Bradberry, Eric Reid, Mario Addison, Vernon Butler, Dontari Poe, and Bruce Irvin all departed via free agency, retirement, or were released by the team.

With a new coaching staff and first-year defensive coordinator Phil Snow, the Panthers have to establish a new identity on defense. While we don’t know exactly what their new defense will look like right now, Matt Rhule gave the media a glimpse into the type of players the team will be looking to bring on and target in the NFL Draft.

Positionless basketball is a trend that we have seen shape out in the modern NBA over the past several years. Teams want versatile wings and guards (around six-foot-six to six-foot-eight) that can defend multiple positions and exploit an array of mismatches on the other end of the floor. It was a movement most thought would likely just stick to basketball but the Carolina Panthers have looked to bring that same mentality to the NFL.

Matt Rhule said he likes “positionless” players on defense and that is a trend they have already established since free agency kicked off. Positionless football could be the future of NFL defenses. We have already seen things shape out over the past few years with players illustrating their ability to play both safety and linebacker,DS along with guys switching from safety to cornerback. The Panthers look to be riding this wave into the 2020 NFL season.

“I try to think of everything as positionless football in my mind,” Rhule said Wednesday when discussing the Panthers’ defense. “Because I think when you start saying ‘this guy has to play this,’ then you’re never playing the next best player.”

When Rhule says "positionless" he does not mean he wants a defensive end that can play middle linebacker and safety. The context was that he looks at his defensive personnel as positionless because he just wants to get the best personnel on the field at once. If two guys on the team have both only played middle linebacker for their entire career - and are by far the two best linebackers on the team - the idea is to find a place for both guys on the field together. 

The NFC South is a division where every team will look to have an air raid offense in 2020. Every team has a quarterback with at least two vertical threat wideouts that will look to air it out all over opposing defenses. Rhule explained that due to the complexity of the passing games the divisional rivals possess, he wants linebackers who can play in both the ‘WILL” and ‘MIKE’ spots (the weak inside linebacker is called the WILL and the middle linebacker is called the mike) along with defensive backs with the same versatility.

“When you look at our division, you’re not really talking about a lot of 21 and 12 personnel grind it, running it teams,” Rhule said. “So I think the MIKE and the WILL when you get into nickel defense is the same thing, they’re standing two feet apart.”

21 personnel is an offensive formation that operates with two tight ends and one running back, while 12 personnel is a formation with one tight end and two running backs. Rhule was inferring that teams in the NFC South employ empty back sets quite often along with 11 personnel (one tight end with one running back) that typical pass-heavy offenses run. When an opposing defense gets into nickel, they need their ‘MIKE’ and ‘WILL’ to be able to do the same things.

“Tahir is a guy who can play ‘MIKE’ and ‘WILL' and Shaq Thompson is another guy that we think can play ‘MIKE’. Jermaine Carter is another guy we’re high on. I think for us, we kind of hoped throughout this time that we would cross-train them and see who’s the better fit. But I know Tahir can do it and I certainly know Shaq can. We just thought to get the best couple of players.”

There is no solid answer as to who will be the likely candidate for ‘MIKE’ or ‘WILL’ in Carolina in 2020,d but the idea is that there is fluidity at all three levels of their defense. The Panthers’ switchable defensive approach inevitably brings up questions concerning the upcoming NFL Draft as the Panthers will look to find suitable candidates to fill the gaping holes in the defense.

Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson is a prospect that the Panthers would likely be thrilled to have fall into their laps with the seventh pick as he played both linebacker and defensive end at Clemson - even dropping back and playing some safety coverage at times. Having a player of Simmons’ caliber would fit into the ‘positionless’ approach that Rhule and the Panthers are seeking for this upcoming season. Simmons is likely gone before Carolina’s No.7 overall pick but the same positionless mentality can apply to other draft prospects as well as the team’s secondary.

Juston Burris was an under-the-radar free agent signing with Carolina this offseason, but according to Rhule, Burris was one of the players the team had an eye on from day one. Burris’ ability to play several positions in the secondary was a vital factor in the team signing the NC State product and reinforces Rhule’s positionless ideal. The Panthers’ run game coordinator, Al Holcomb, was also with Burris with the Cleveland Browns in 2019.

“I was really happy to get Juston Burris in free agency,” Rhule said. “He was a guy we marked early, on the first day. Al Holcomb had been with him [in Cleveland]. He’s a guy who has been a nickel, been a corner, been a safety.” He added that re-signing Tre Boston along with bringing on Burris were “pivotal signings” due to the team wanting stability at safety. Burris has played corner in the past but it looks like Phil Snow will have the defensive back playing safety in Carolina. The versatility to slide him to multiple positions in multiple defensive packages gives the Panthers an advantage against other teams, similar to their linebacking tandem.