Image courtesy of digtriad.com

SPARTANBURG, SC – Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott is the first to admit the front seven appears to be the strength of Carolina’s defense.

The Panthers bolstered their defensive tackle position by adding Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short with their first two draft picks, signed veteran linebacker Chase Blackburn to give them more depth at linebacker and hope to get three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jon Beason back to full strength this season.

McDermott says “every defense has an identity, and coming out of the shoot the front seven is certainly what we think on paper will be our strength.”

The secondary still has questions marks, with only one of the positions settled.

But McDermott says he’s excited that almost all of the key pieces from last year’s 10th-ranked defense are back.