Carolina Panthers make intriguing move by giving option to Torrey Smith
The Carolina Panthers bring Smith back to the receivers room.
The Carolina Panthers made yet another move on Thursday, this time bringing back a veteran to the wide receivers room. Wideout Torrey Smith signed a one-year extension to remain with the Carolina Panthers according to multiple media reports.
Smith did not have the type of season many Panthers fans thought he would. He tallied 17 receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns in 2018, playing in 11 games. Injuries derailed him throughout the course of the season. He would miss four games with a knee injury. Obviously, he will hope to improve upon those numbers next season. When healthy, he can be a tremendous deep-threat receiver.
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For the Panthers though, his value is not necessarily on the field. It is mentoring the young receivers in the receivers room-most notably Curtis Samuel and D.J. Moore. Smith has played nine seasons in the National Football League, so he can certainly bring a lot of experience to the table. As an offensive unit in general, there are a lot of young players on that side of the football for the Carolina Panthers. Having a veteran like Smith is important.
On the other hand, I can certainly see where people are upset with the signing given the fact that Smith has a $5 million hit this coming season. For a team that has many needs heading into the off-season, $5 million is certainly a big number against the cap. It is certainly a tough number to swallow, especially if you’re looking at the production, or lack thereof, he had last year. However, he obviously is worth more to the team than production in the minds of the Panthers organization.
For his sake, I hope Smith has a great year for the Carolina Panthers. We all know what he is capable of when he is healthy. He can be a deep threat, and can outmuscle defenders with his leaping ability. That’s what made him so successful with the Baltimore Ravens. Hopefully, he can get back to that under a Norv Turner and Cam Newton-led offense. The potential is certainly there, and last year we saw a glimpse of how well the receivers can play in the offense.
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Although he may have lost a step, and although the price tag might be a little bit high, the Carolina Panthers certainly see the value in Smith. It will be interesting to see if he can add anything to the offense this coming season, or if he will serve the role of mentor. Either way, I think he could be an asset to the team moving forward.