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The Panthers’ defensive tackles played better than you remember."The Panthers’ defense finished the 2018 season ranked 12th in the league in rushing yards by allowing only 112 yards per game. It’s pretty much the best statistic I can find about the 2018 defense. The Panthers’ defense ranked in the 20s for about every other metric that matters. The Panthers’ two starters at defensive tackle and their top back-up all played well against the run in 2018.The Panthers had their typical four man rotation up front with Kawann Short and Dontari Poe getting the most snaps. Surprisingly Brian Burns Jersey , the leading back-up was Kyle Love, instead of the former first round selection Vernon Butler. Love got almost as many snaps as Poe and had a career season against the run.Kawann Short2018 stats: 14 games, 42 combined tackles, three sacks, one pass knocked down and one forced fumbleShort was the highest ranked player on the defensive line for the Panthers in 2018. While his three sacks on the season were far from his three year average of 8 sacks he performed at an elite level against the run. From Pro Football Focus:Please don’t look at the eleven sacks he had in 2015 and think Short had a bad season. That assessment misses the full contribution Short provided the defense while being a three down defensive tackle. Dontari Poe2018 stats: 16 games, 17 combined tackles and one sackPoe was one of the Panthers’ key free agent acquisitions in 2018 and he produced about as expected. He didn’t have a career year but his season grade was not far off. It was certainly better than Star Lotulelei whom Poe was signed to replace. The stat line for most nose tackles in the league are usually paltry. Poe wasn’t signed to rush the passer, he is a run stuffer assigned to occupy blockers and he did that fairly well. Poe’s job helped the Panthers linebackers get free to make tackles and based on that measure he played pretty well, though I would not call him elite. Kyle Love2018 stats: 16 games, two starts C.J. Anderson Jersey , 1.5 sacks, 19 tackles and three forced fumblesAs mentioned Love had his best season as a Panther especially when it came to big plays. Love had a couple of them, including this gem of a forced fumble against the Falcons:Look at big Love getting the edge! That’s the way you do it. Love is a free agent in 2019 but I hope the Panthers bring him back. He made $1.3 million in 2018 and deserves more but probably not much more. He has earned the right to once again be the first defensive tackle off the bench in 2019.Vernon Butler2018 stats: 14 games, 19 tackles, 0.5 sacksThe hope was the third year player would continue his upward trend in 2018. That didn’t happen. Butler regressed against the pass, the part of his game we had hoped for a break out. Instead Butler enters his fourth season with no guarantee the Panthers will exercise the fifth year option of his rookie contract. Teams usually covet that fifth season but Butler has yet to warrant such consideration. The Panthers save no money cutting Butler so he will get one last chance to realize the potential the Panthers saw in 2016. SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Linebacker Thomas Davis wants to play for the Panthers beyond this season — if the team will have him back.The 35-year-old Davis, who is entering his 14th season with Carolina, will be an unrestricted free after this season.“If the team is willing to have me back Luke Kuechly Color Rush Jersey , I will be back,” Davis said Monday following training camp practice at Wofford College.Davis, the Panthers’ all-time leading tackler, will begin the season serving a four-game NFL-imposed suspension after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance — a blemish on an otherwise stellar NFL career that has included returning from three torn ACLs in the same knee to earn All-Pro in 2015, three Pro Bowls selections (2015-17) and the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.He doesn’t want to end his career serving a suspension during his final season.“I just look at the way things transpired this offseason and I think back to my legacy and the things I have been able to do as a football player and I don’t want to leave on a sour note,” Davis said. “You never want to walk away from the game knowing you served a four-game suspension. That is really my mindset right now. So as long as I am able to continue to play football I will do that.”With Davis sitting out the first four games, Shaq Thompson will fill Davis’ spot at weak side linebacker and David Mayo is expected to start at strong side linebacker. It’s unclear at this point if Davis would be in the starting lineup when he returns.Davis is allowed to participate in all practices and preseason games, but must step away from the team altogether on Sept. 3. He plans to spend that time staying in shape and watching his sons play youth football.He also has “a couple of offers” to do some other things during the first four weeks of the season, but would not elaborate on whether those opportunities television-related.Davis has been a productive player for the Panthers despite suffering the three knee injuries in consecutive seasons — 2009 Ryan Kalil Color Rush Jersey , 2010 and 2011 — which limited him to nine games and threatened to end his career.But he persevered and followed that up with five straight 100-tackle seasons and three Pro Bowls.However, his numbers dropped off last year. Davis registered 76 tackles, 2 sacks and no interceptions as Thompson took on a bigger role in the defense.Panthers coach Ron Rivera did not address Davis’ future beyond this season, saying only “Thomas has been a great player for us. And I look forward to Thomas playing for us.”Panthers general manager Marty Hurney was not immediately available for comment.With his future beyond this season up in the air, Davis said he is enjoying every moment of training camp despite the sweltering heat.“I come out and embrace it every day, talking trash at a high level every day to Cam (Newton) daily and just coming out and competing and having fun with my teammates,” Davis said.