The Carolina Panthers have overhauled the cornerback position this offseason. After letting Josh Norman go, and not re-signing Charles Tillman or Cortland Finnegan, the Panthers are left with two veterans that have real experience in Bene Benwikere, and Robert McClain.

The team will be depending on a young and unproven unit to help them succeed. The media will see the secondary as a weak point going into the 2016 season with good reason. However the Panthers are no strangers to unit overhauls.

In fact they overhauled the wide receiver position and the guard unit as recently as 2014. Today those units are considered strengths of the team. With Kelvin Benjamin back and Devin Funchess apparently looking like Kelvin Benjamin last offseason, the wide receiving group will be expected to keep defenses honest and provide Cam Newton with enough firepower to improve 2015’s top scoring offense. While the guard unit hosts two third-year players who will be in the conversation for the Pro Bowl every year and who both rank in the top-10 for guards in Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner.

Due to the success of other overhauls is it presumptive to suggest the new secondary can become a top tier unit in the next few years? Well yeah a bit, but the secondary has the tools to get there. Let’s take a look at why the secondary can step up and become a strength as early as the 2016 season, but more likely in the 2017 season and beyond.

Scheme

One of the best things the young corners have going for them is the defensive scheme that Carolina uses. The Panthers use a variety of coverage calls but most stem from a basic Cover-2 concept. This coverage allows cornerbacks to sit in zones and read how the offense is attacking, which in turn gives them an extra split second to react to the play.

The Panthers have found success with new faces to their defense frequently and have been able to play with a patched together secondary a few times because of the way their scheme works. The most important thing for the rookies to do is not bite on double moves and to keep their man in front of them. If they can do that consistently, then the secondary will look similar to the 2016 version rather quickly.

Athleticism

One thing that general manager Dave Gettleman does better than almost anyone else in the NFL is find players who have skills and talents that cannot be taught. He believes in his coaching staff to correct the little things and refine the player which allows him to go after players like second-round pick James Bradberry.

Bradberry is a long, athletic cornerback with decent footwork and an eye for the ball. With a heavy dose of coaching he could be a top tier cornerback in the NFL. Fellow 2016 draft picks Daryl Worley and Zack Sanchez are not as athletically gifted as Bradberry, but they both possess great instincts and have the ability to make a play on the ball.

The youth movement allows the secondary to play faster and more aggressive, similar to the change made late in the 2014 season. The Panthers started Benwikere and Tre Boston as replacements for Antoine Cason and Thomas DeCoud who were simply not fast enough to keep up with the competition.

Related Panthers rookie James Bradberry is living the dream

Pass Rush

Another factor that heavily influences a secondaries success is the pass rush. Because it is such a large factor and the Panthers pass rush relies on the growth of Kony Ealy and the ability of Vernon Butler to make an impact coming off the bench it becomes harder to really predict how the secondary will hold up.

Overall it is hard to say that the secondary will be elite during the 2016 season. When you add three cornerbacks and are relying on players who are either injured or do not have a wealth of experience, it is hard to say the unit will be top tier. However, the potential and the building blocks are there.

Over the 2016 season I would expect moderate success from the secondary and I would expect the unit to grow each week and end the season on a much higher note than it starts.