4 veteran free agents the Carolina Panthers shouldn’t re-sign
By Dean Jones
Chris Reed – Carolina Panthers G
There were some encouraging moments from Chris Reed regarding run blocking throughout the 2020 season. But if the Carolina Panthers want to make further progress next time around then they’ll need more from their interior linemen moving forward.
Carolina placed a considerable amount of faith in Reed when they immediately installed him into the starting lineup after a period on the reserve/COVID-19 list. He repaid them with a couple of nice displays to hit the ground running but this was not matched by a consistency during the season overall that gives any sort of confidence he can be a viable long-term option.
Reed gave up just one sack and conceded three penalties from 892 snaps on his way to a 63.0 grade from Pro Football Focus. The veteran is now looking for a new deal either in Carolina or elsewhere, which might have to be the latter if his performances down the stretch were any indication.
Even if the Panthers do give Reed another year on his contract, it won’t come with any guarantee to fill the starting role he occupied last time out.
There appears to be a bit extra financially for Carolina to spend on this area of the field and the 2021 NFL Draft is full of progressive college prospects who could make a real difference from the word go.