CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera in essence bet on himself when he took over the defensive playcalling late in 2018 in an attempt to save the season and potentially his job.
He'll do that again in 2019.
The plan is for Rivera to continue calling the defensive plays and for Eric Washington to remain the defensive coordinator with a focus on the defensive front and game planning.
The organization's biggest concern this offseason, not counting the sore right shoulder of quarterback Cam Newton, is returning the defense to the top-10 level it was for five of the previous six seasons.