Carolina Panthers signing Matt Paradis an excellent move
The Carolina Panthers made a tremendous signing on Tuesday.
The Carolina Panthers are continuing to make moves in free agency. Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers signed former Denver Broncos center Matt Paradis to a three-year, $27 million contract. This news was first reported by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Paradis was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 207th pick in the sixth round in 2014. He was part of the Denver Broncos team that beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. If anything, he brings postseason experience to the Panthers right off the bat. He has played in 57 games in his career, starting all of them.
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This is a tremendous move for the Carolina Panthers. For one, injuries were something that plagued them on the offensive line last year. Paradis is known to be tough, physical, and as the above statistic shows, he has never missed a game. This is exactly what the Carolina Panthers need. The Panthers had to go through the 2018 season with a makeshift line, and at times it felt like Cam Newton had no time to throw the football. A durable lineman and one who is not afraid to block for the quarterback should fit the Panthers excellently here.
What can we bring to Carolina? For one, he is a very balanced lineman. According to statistics from Pro Football Focus, Paradis recorded a 78.6 pass blocking grade and a 77.4 run blocking grade in the 2018 season. The fact that he is such a good pass blocker is certainly going to help Carolina. They need to protect Newton at all costs. An effective run blocker like Paradis will also be able to help Christian McCaffrey, as the latter hopes to build upon his impressive numbers from the 2018 campaign.
Former Broncos’ C Matt Paradis intends to sign a three-year, $27 million deal with the Carolina Panthers, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2019
This was certainly a move that was unexpected given the needs of the team in the offseason. However, it is an extremely welcome move as they look to sure up the offensive line. The line was an Achilles’ heel for them at times and they needed to do something heading into the season. Especially not re-signing Daryl Williams, there was a hole that needed to be filled there. Paradis fill that void and has the numbers to show for it.
This wasn’t just a signing from the scrapheap. This is a calculated move on the part of the Panthers that should allow them to be able to have a formidable offensive line in 2019. Not only that, it gives them more options for what to do with the 16th pick in the NFL Draft. Now, they do not have to be pigeonholed into picking a lineman. This is a win-win move for the team all-around.
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