Panthers: CB Lorenzo Doss fighting for a chance
The Carolina Panthers may have found a hidden gem at corner….
How the tables have turned. Cornerback Lorenzo Doss went from beating the Carolina Panthers to perhaps becoming a member of the team.
As the confetti rained down for the Denver Broncos after being the Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, Doss won his first Super Bowl ring. Now, he hopes to lead the Panthers to their first ring.
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A fifth-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2015, Doss was signed to a four-year contract on May 15, 2015. On November 23, 2017, he was waived by the team and cut the next day. He did not stay unemployed for long as he was added to the Buffalo Bills practice squad on November 27. After struggling to find a stable home in the National Football League, he was signed to a Reserve/ Future contract on January 2.
In 15 games played, he has recorded two pass deflections and four tackles.
Doss has turned heads all throughout the course of minicamp. This has come as a bit of a surprise considering he was not figured to be a big part of the Carolina Panthers secondary. However, he has managed to push his way into the secondary conversation. As Stephen Igoe of 247Sports wrote Sunday, head coach Ron Rivera has been impressed by what he has seen from Doss. However, the coach wants to see sustained production from the cornerback.
"“He’s been interesting. He’s a guy who’s been in the league a couple years and is trying to find a home,” Rivera said. “He seems to improve every day. Right now, it’s one of those things where there’s no consequences, so you can play and kind of cut it loose. What will be interesting is to see if he can maintain when the pads come on and the consequences increase in terms of when you get burned, you get burned and it’s a big deal. When you get burned right now, there really isn’t a lot of consequences because you can gamble.”"
There no doubt the cornerback position is a bit crowded at the moment. With all of the acquisitions the franchise has acquired in the offseason both in free agency and through the draft, Doss will really have to work hard to make a name for himself.
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He has come essentially out of nowhere and shown the Carolina Panthers coaches that he can really play. In other words, he will just have to keep proving people wrong.