The Carolina Panthers didn’t give linebacker Frankie Luvu a two-year extension this offseason just so he can be the same guy. And so far in 2022, it’s showed.
Luvu is fresh off the most eye-opening outing of his five-year NFL tenure. Against the New York Giants in Week 2, he recorded a career-high 10 tackles—shattering his previous best of six—with four of those (also a career-high) resulting in a loss.
Heck, he even lit up the analytical box score as well. Pro Football Focus evaluated Luvu as Carolina’s top defender in the loss—grading him out at an 80.0 overall alongside some solid marks in pass rush (85.2), run defense (71.4) and in tackling and coverage (69.9).
Coincidentally, or perhaps not, defensive coordinator Phil Snow spoke about Luvu’s all-around game ahead of today’s practice. He believes that this is just the start for the 25-year-old’s ascension.
“Everybody said Frankie was better on the line of scrimmage, right? Rushing and doing that,” he said. “He wasn’t real good in coverage. But he’s really worked on that in the last year. We sat him down and we wanted a complete linebacker and I think he’s becoming a much better linebacker in all aspects of his game. So, hopefully, he can stay healthy. He’s gonna play a lot more snaps than he’s played in the past. So that’s his big challenge.”
Luvu also notched a career-high in defensive snaps (70) this past Sunday. So, yeah, Snow isn’t kidding.
But, as long as Luvu does stay off the sidelines, the Panthers may once again have themselves another impactful linebacker in the middle of—and all over, quite frankly—their defense.
