CHARLOTTE – Mario Addison joined the Panthers late in the 2012 season with little in the way of a pass-rushing reputation around the league, joining a defensive line stuck in the same boat.
But Addison individually and the defensive line as a whole has been building a reputation ever since – in most circles at least.
Addison joined a line in 2012 that arguably deserved more acclaim than it received, with Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy both recording double-digit sacks to catapult Carolina into the top 10 in that category. But the Panthers went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, so few football folks nationally noticed.