Carolina Panthers: 5 offseason needs in 2020

4. Offensive line help

Any quarterback who lines up for the Panthers in 2020 is going to need solid protection from his offensive line. The group wasn’t awful last season, but it was nowhere near dominant. There’s room for improvement at every position other than center.

Finding a guard capable of boosting the run game could be the easiest way for Carolina to make a meaningful upgrade. In particular, finding a new starter at left guard could benefit the Panthers by allowing Daryl Williams to move back to tackle full-time.

Guards have started to go higher in the draft in recent years, but it’s still relatively easy to find a starter in the middle rounds. Rhule should lean on his knowledge of the group of guards in the draft to extract maximum value for his new employers. Don’t be surprised if the Panthers pick a guard Rhule is familiar with in the third or fourth round and turn him into a starter rather quickly.

There is an outside chance the Panthers could look for help at tackle as well. Last year’s second round pick Greg Little was supposed to do that in 2019, but injuries and inconsistency kept him on the outside of the depth chart looking in. He’ll either need to take a big step forward or the Panthers will need to find a new tackle to take all of his reps.