Panthers news: Tahir Whitehead not trying to be Luke Kuechly

New Carolina Panthers linebacker Tahir Whitehead has potentially big shoes to fill in the the wake of Luke Kuechly's sudden retirement last January.

Since coming to the Panthers, Whitehead — who wore No. 59 on his uniform with the Detroit Lions and the then-Oakland Raiders — has switched to No. 52. Besides that subtle change to what could end up being a future jersey retired by the organization, Whitehead opened up to filling in for Kuechly and why he's not the same player as the revered recently retired linebacker.

“For me, it’s just a matter of I’m my biggest critic,” Tahir Whitehead said, via the Panthers' website. “At the end of the day, Luke is Luke and I’m me. He plays the game differently than I do and vice versa. So I just have to go out there and make sure that I can execute my ability and my job within the scheme,” Whitehead said. “So making sure that I’m a good presence in the locker room, a good presence in the linebacker room, and making sure that I’m leading by example and not doing all of the rah-rah stuff. That’s just it.”

Whitehead inked a one-year deal with the Panthers this spring to the tune of $2.5 million. He last played for the Raiders, spending two seasons out west after initially starting his professional tenure with the Lions as a fifth-round selection out of Temple in 2012.

The 6-foot-2 outside linebacker registered 108 combined tackles during the 2019 season with Oakland, totaling six tackles for loss and one quarterback hits in 16 games.