Panthers Need Kony Ealy to Take Big Leap to Bolster Pass Rush in 2015

In 2013, no team in the National Football League racked up more sacks than the 60 the Carolina Panthers accrued en route to winning the NFC South.

Last season the Panthers became the first team in NFC South history to win the division in successive seasons, but the team's vaunted pass rush fell way off—all the way to 13th in the NFL.

The Carolina defense is in many ways predicated on that front four's ability to make opposing quarterbacks miserable. And if the Panthers are going to win their division for a third consecutive year, that pass rush is going to have to step it up in 2015.

And that's where second-year defensive end Kony Ealy comes in.

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

If Carolina OTAs are any indication, Ealy is fired up about the opportunity to play a larger role for the Panthers in 2015. Maybe a little too fired up.

As Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review reported, Ealy got into a camp dust-up with veteran offensive tackle Michael Oher. Normally, a little pushing and shoving in practice is no big deal, but in this instance punches were thrown, and the players had to be separated.

Luckily, Sandra Bullock was not involved.

Head coach Ron Rivera lauded the fire his players showed, while allowing that things got a bit out of hand:

"

I don’t like the fighting, but I do like the fact that there was a standoff. Kony’s a young guy who’s learning and trying to learn how to cope and Michael’s a veteran guy. It’s kind of like the young bear poking the older bear.

I don’t mind the pushing and the shoving, but when you start swinging at one another, you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to treat each other like brothers, and if you had a fight with a brother, you wouldn’t swing at him, you’d probably want to make sure you talk to your mom and dad. My office is open.

"

Now if the team can only get that fire to translate onto the gridiron.

After all, when the Panthers drafted Ealy in the second round of the 2014 draft, it was no doubt with the hope that the former Missouri star would grow into a prominent role with the team. The Panthers may not have known how Greg Hardy would leave the team, but they knew that Hardy was playing 2014 under the franchise tag and that his return the following season was no sure bet.

Mike Mayock of the NFL Network saw good value in Ealy, who had 42 tackles and eight sacks for the Tigers in 2013, at pick No. 60. To a point, that is.

"I think there's real value to that pick at No. 60," Mayock said. "He was thought to be a first-round defensive end. However, there's a lack of consistency as you watch more game tape."

Those cautionary words proved to be prescient.

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Ealy did manage four sacks as a rookie, including one in each of the season's last three games. But in 368 snaps as a rookie, Ealy graded out as the fourth-worst 4-3 defensive end in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

Against the run, Ealy ranked dead last among qualifying 4-3 ends.

Ealy told Max Henson of the team's website that he's well aware his rookie performance isn't going to cut it:

"

I'm just trying to elevate my game and take it to another level. I want to help the team out more than I did last year. I embrace anything the team asks me to do. I don't want to look too far ahead or worry about other people. I'm just here to do my job to the best of my ability and contribute way more than I did last year.

"

That's no doubt what the Panthers want as well. Sure, Mario Addison tied Charles Johnson for the team lead last year with eight sacks. Wes Horton showed a flash or two. But neither player received a positive grade from PFF.

The Panthers badly need someone to step up opposite Johnson. Otherwise, Johnson will just get double-teamed all day every day, the pass rush will struggle again, and a Carolina secondary that is easily the weak link on defense will be exposed with regularity.

The Panthers drafted Ealy to be that player last year. His rookie season didn't go as planned, but that's hardly a rarity for young defensive ends.

This year, however, it needs to be different. If the Panthers are going to get back to the playoffs, they need Ealy to play like the youngster Nolan Nawrocki of NFL.com called a "big, athletic, ascending pass-rush talent."

The Panthers need Ealy to fight for what's his.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPSharks.