2 FAs Carolina Panthers should pair with Donte Jackson and 1 to avoid

Richard Sherman

• 2020 team – San Francisco 49ers

The Legion of Boom is no more and the former members of that vaunted defense have been scattered amongst other teams around the NFL. One of those now finds himself sitting on the sideline deeper into free agency than most expected.

Richard Sherman may no longer be the superstar he once was. But the former Pro Bowler has something left in the tank and would be a welcome veteran addition.

Coming off a 2019 season in which he was selected to his first Pro Bowl since 2016, Sherman was slowed by injuries in 2020 and production dipped as a result. This may be the reason he remains on the proverbial scrapheap this deep into the offseason.

However, when at full strength during the 2019 campaign, Sherman looked to regain at least some of his former stardom. Hauling in three interceptions and holding opposing passers to a 63.2 completion percentage. To further hammer home how effective he was, only one touchdown was scored against him the entire season.

While injuries are more of a concern for the more experienced players in the league and Sherman has seemed to lose a step in the last few years, the production and leadership he could bring while slotted in at No.2 would help the younger players on the Carolina Panthers develop while keeping the pressure lower on his coverage.

Bringing in Sherman would allow the Panthers to sit Troy Pride Jr., and any players the team may draft, to let them learn from Sherman with a view to following in his footsteps.

This is something that teams tend to overlook when throwing young players into the NFL too early. Just look at what Patrick Mahomes has been able to accomplish as an example of what to do with a player who isn’t quite ready from Day 1.

Gone are the days of the heated rivalry between the Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks, but the ability to bring in a large part of that era should not be dismissed. Think of Sherman as more of a short-term coach than a team-changing addition if he is signed, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

With a similar playing style to Jackson, Sherman could bring even more physicality to the position and make receivers think twice about running deep.