2 FAs Carolina Panthers should pair with Donte Jackson and 1 to avoid
By Noah Bryce
Rasul Douglas
- 2020 team – Carolina Panthers
The No. 2 cornerback on the Carolina Panthers during the 2020 season was Rasul Douglas, who performed admirably and above expectations. This is reportedly going to bring an apparent bidding war for his services that will likely place him out of the team’s price range, according to FanSided’s NFL insider Matt Lombardo.
This may not be a bad thing.
However, there are other free agents that are still available being of better quality. No one likes to overpay in the NFL, especially at an overlooked position.
Being placed on the COVID-19 list somewhat diminished the early performance of Douglas and limited his playing time to only 14 games – 11 of which he started. In those contests, he posted a respectable 63.3 completion percentage allowed but gave up a passer rating of over 100.
That shows a concerning trend when added to the six touchdowns Douglas surrendered in coverage. So while the cornerback seemed to do well he was also somewhat of a liability. Something the Panthers have struggled with at No. 2 for a long while.
It’s not that the team hasn’t tried to fill that hole. Douglas was never meant to be a starter last season as the Panthers signed Eli Apple in what ended up being a forgettable decision.
So while Douglas played well, he is a backup that played higher than expectations and not a starter that stayed consistent or slightly declined. Meaning you can’t fully expect that level of performance to continue.
Players have breakout seasons all the time, which doesn’t necessarily lead to future production. Teams seem to have that same mindset with Douglas as he has yet to be signed.
While some may want Douglas brought back as the solid No. 2 that he was last season, ultimately whoever pays him will end up overpaying for a backup that outplayed his contract. This is one move the Panthers shouldn’t make unless all other options are gone.