Carolina Panthers: Adding Parker Collins gives the line depth

The Carolina Panthers added another player from the AAF on Friday.

The Carolina Panthers have begun  to sign players from the AAF and that continued on Friday. According to multiple media reports the Carolina Panthers signed lineman Parker Collins who most recently played with the Atlanta Legends.

In a way, this is a homecoming of sorts for him. He grew up in South Carolina and went to school at Appalachian State University. He was named second team All-Sun Belt after starting all 13 games on the offensive line in 2015. He had 105 knockdowns and was a key component to the Mountaineers running game. They had six games of at least 300 yards that year. Per game, they averaged an amazing 271.5 yards. Running was their specialty and they certainly showed it that year.

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The Panthers made a great move here. For one, Collins is very versatile. He is able to play multiple positions and has been slotted in at the center, guard, and tackle positions. That could certainly be a benefit to the Panthers should he be able to make the roster. They certainly need help in those areas. Cam Newton can only take so many more hits.

This could be a bigger signing than originally thought. Offensive line could definitely use some help. Although they have drastically improved the roster from where it was last year, you can never have too much depth. The Carolina Panthers learned that the hard way last year when multiple players, including All-Pro standout Daryl Williams got hurt during training camp. That put the Panthers in a bind and forced them to spend the 2018 season structuring a makeshift offensive line. To their credit, they played well.

It is interesting to see the Carolina Panthers dip into the AAF player pool. I never really thought of them as a team that would be active in that area. We have already seen several former AAF player signings by several teams and it is great to see them get jobs. After signing wideout Rashad Ross on Thursday, the Panthers have shown that they are very active in the AAF free agent market. It’s a smart move on their part. Maybe they can find a “diamond in the rough.” Sometimes, the best finds are the ones you least expect.

It will be interesting to see if the Carolina Panthers make any further moves with the AAF player pool. It never hurts to add depth, and the Panthers are taking that train of thought to heart.