Panthers' Yetur Gross-Matos calls position switch a 'breath of fresh air'

Defense has been the strength of the Carolina Panthers for the last few seasons, as their defensive unit loaded with young talent has impressed in recent history.

This offseason the Panthers hired former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to serve in the same role for Carolina, who not only brings over an impressive resume with experience in some of the league’s top defensive units, but a new defensive scheme with him as well.

The Panthers have run a 4-3 defense for years now, but will switch to Evero 3-4 defensive scheme moving forward. Personnel-wise, this means some of the Panthers’ defensive ends will now be playing outside linebacker, like Yetur Gross-Matos, who was thrilled to learn the news.

“My initial reaction was a breath of fresh air,” Gross-Matos said. “I’m excited about it; I know they’re excited about it. We can talk about it all day because it’s new for all of us. So (we) just try and learn as much as we can from each other’s mistakes and what we do well.”

Carolina selected Gross-Matos with the No. 38 overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, playing defensive end for the Panthers for the last three seasons. He’s been effective in his role, racking up 106 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and numerous turnovers as a disruptor off of the edge. But he’s also looking forward to a change of pace and playing a position that may cater more to his strengths.

“Before, I was playing D-line, but I was really taking on a lot of double-teams and just in the trenches,” Gross-Matos said. “Now, I’m really able to use my athleticism more, running more, covering. We outside linebackers consider ourselves the alphas of the defense because we can do it all — rush the quarterback, cover guys, look at formations. So it’s a bigger responsibility. But, you know, I’m all about it. And it’s been fun.”

Gross-Matos brings a rare combination of size and speed to the table with his lengthy 6-foot-5, 260-pound frame, and he’ll be able to show off more of his athleticism going forward. He’ll be asked to drop into coverage more and have a larger area of space to be responsible for, a challenge he seems excited for despite only dropping into coverage 24 times in his three seasons as a pro according to PFF.

Defensive end Brian Burns will also be making the switch to outside linebacker in Evero’s scheme, and it will definitely be interesting to see how the two adjust to their new positions as the season nears.