5 AFC West free agents the Carolina Panthers might target in 2021
By Dean Jones
Shelby Harris – DT
- 2020 team – Denver Broncos
As stated previously, the Carolina Panthers got some nice production from their defensive front in their last few games of the season. However, they might look at bringing in a more prominent presence to put alongside No. 7 overall selection Derrick Brown, who showed a significant amount of promise during his rookie campaign.
Carolina does have Bravvion Roy and Zach Kerr as key rotational pieces. There is also the option to bring back Efe Obada in the coming weeks after the Nigerian-born player showed plenty of promise from the three-technique last season.
However, if the Panthers want to take this unit to the next level, then going after someone like Shelby Harris is something well worth considering. The lineman made a big impression with the Denver Broncos in 2020 despite the team struggling overall, which was further reflected in his exceptional 88.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.
The former seventh-round pick won’t last long on the free-agent market. This might also be his only chance to get a significant payday after coming into the NFL as a seventh-round pick out of Illinois State.
Whether Carolina s willing to shell out big bucks on another defensive tackle is up for debate. But it’s hard not to look at Harris’ production in 2020 and not think he couldn’t be a massive help moving forward.