Could Omar Bayless be the Panthers’ secret weapon in 2021?
By Dean Jones
Where does Bayless fit on the Carolina Panthers?
A healthy Omar Bayless could be in a good spot to earn a prominent place on the depth chart in 2021. Hopefully, the Carolina Panthers can keep hold of Curtis Samuel in free agency. But there are plenty of others on short-term deals that might not be around by the time competitive action rolls around next year.
The likes of Pharoh Cooper, Brandon Zylstra, and Keith Kirkwood are all out of contract and could be on their way out of the door. Carolina is sure to bring in additional reinforcements during the free agency period or the 2021 NFL Draft and it will be up to Bayless to put what he’s learned during his first year with the franchise to good use when it’s time to fight for playing time during OTAs and training camp.
If the player’s first impression was a good one, the second needs to be even better.
Bayless will need to prove his worth all over again and leave the coaching staff in no doubt that he is back to full health in the process. This is a challenge he is sure to relish and there will still be a chip on the receiver’s shoulder after being passed up on draft night earlier this year.
The Panthers showed a lot of faith in Bayless. But the time is soon coming for him to repay the favor.