5 free agents the Carolina Panthers should bring in for training camp

Melvin Ingram – OLB

• 2020 team – Los Angeles Chargers

It’s been an interesting offseason regarding defensive additions, which has left the front seven looking like a unit that could potentially become a dominant force in 2021 if everything clicks into place right away. However, with Jermaine Carter and Shaq Thompson penciled in as the team’s starting outside linebackers, acquiring another veteran ahead of training camp wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.

One of the more eye-catching names still available on the market is Melvin Ingram. The former Pro Bowler only managed seven games last season due to injury, but providing these frustrations are a thing of the last, it represents a shrewd move from the Carolina Panthers considering the player’s connections to the area.

Ingram was born in North Carolina and played his college football at South Carolina en route to becoming the No. 18 overall selection in 2012. He has the versatility to play as an outside linebacker or with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end, which is something the Panthers clearly love in almost every new recruit.

There is plenty of exciting young talent on defense. Ingram would provide some much-needed experience and might just be the missing piece to the puzzle if the secondary lives up to their end of the bargain and improves accordingly.