The Carolina Panthers had a historic 2015 season that saw them go 15-1 and reach Super Bowl 50, where they ultimately lost to the Denver Broncos 24-10. Carolina paired an MVP season from Cam Newton with an excellent defense.

This past season, Carolina’s defense led in majority of statistical categories including first in takeaways with 39 and first in interceptions thrown with 24. The reason why the Panthers had so many interceptions was because of All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman, who led the team with four. Norman was a force to be reckoned with as he shut down half of the field, making it tough for opposing teams’ quarterbacks.

With Norman having such a great season and becoming a free agent, he wanted to get paid as one of the best cornerbacks in the league. The Panthers and Norman were not on the same page and in April, Carolina rescinded the franchise tag to make him a free agent. Norman eventually got his money as Washington signed him to a five-year, $75 million contract with $50 million guaranteed.

Norman was part of the Panthers’ 2012 draft class that included Luke Kuechly at ninth overall. As a rookie, Kuechly started all 16 games for the Panthers and had 103 tackles, eight pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and a sack.

For his outstanding efforts on defense, Kuechly was named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, while helping the Panthers defense be ranked 19th in takeaways with 23 and 14th in rushing yards, only giving up 110.1 yards per game. This was an improvement from the 2011 season, where the Panthers were giving up 130.8 yards per game on the ground, which was good for 25th in the NFL.

After the Panthers finished the 2012 season with a 7-9 record missing the playoffs, Dave Gettleman continued his philosophy of building a championship defense. In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Panthers drafted defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short with their first two picks then added another linebacker in A.J. Klein in the fifth round.

Lotulelei and Short have been stalwarts in the middle of the Panthers’ defensive line with both playing 69 and 48.5 percent of defensive snaps this past season. When they were rookies, they both played 59.3 and 51.3 percent of defensive snaps on a defensive line that had Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson. The Panthers would make the playoffs in 2013 but see their season end in the NFC Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers 23-10.

Gettleman was not satisfied with only making it to NFC Divisional Round, so in the 2014 NFL Draft, he once again made sure to address the defense. Carolina drafted cornerbacks Tre Boston and Bene Benwikere and defensive end Kony Ealy.

Ealy, an athletic defensive end out of Missouri, has made a huge impact on an already stout Panthers’ defensive line. This past season, he racked up 15 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles and two pass deflections. He also had an electrifying Super Bowl 50 performance sacking Peyton Manning three times, making him uncomfortable in the pocket.

Also in the 2014 NFL Draft, Gettleman did not neglect the offense as he gave Cam Newton a number one wide receiver in Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin had a solid rookie year finishing with 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns. After having a great rookie season, Benjamin tore his ACL in training camp last summer and is looking to bounce back in a receiving core that saw both Corey Brown and Devin Funchess come of age.

Finally, in the 2015 NFL Draft, the only draft pick that has made an impact is Funchess, who had 31 receptions for 473 yards and five touchdowns. Funchess should only get better with Benjamin playing on the opposite side.

With that being said, the Panthers have made great draft picks over the years, addressing the defense early and often. While losing Norman will hurt because he is a bigger cornerback and Gettleman likes those types of cornerbacks. The Panthers addressed the defense in this year’s draft, selecting defensive tackle Vernon Butler out of Louisiana Tech in the first round, Samford cornerback James Bradberry in the second round, West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley in the third round and Oklahoma cornerback Zack Sanchez in the fifth round.

Sanchez is the smallest of the three corners coming in at 5-foot-11 but Gettleman made sure to load up in the secondary to create competition and to compensate for the loss of Norman. Don’t forget in free agency, Carolina also signed former Pittsburgh Steeler and Philadelphia Eagle cornerback Brandon Boykin. All three rookie corners should see time this upcoming season, while Butler will be rotated in as the Panthers’ defensive line is stacked.

Gettleman is trying to prove with his team building philosophy that defense can win championships and you have to address it not only in free agency but in the draft. We’ve seen the Broncos and Seahawks both win Super Bowls thanks to their defenses. Both teams spent picks on defense, drafting players who fit their system and weren’t necessarily household names. 

If the Panthers' defense can play like they did in 2015 and with Newton reaching elite status, then it’s no reason why they cannot be in the Super Bowl once again.