What exactly do the Carolina Panthers have at IOL in 2021?
By Dean Jones
The returning veterans
- Matt Paradis, John Miller, Dennis Daley, Aaron Monteiro, Sam Tecklenburg, Mike Horton.
Considering how poor the Carolina Panthers were on their interior protection in 2020, it was a surprise to see a couple of starters brought back for another crack at things.
One such individual was John Miller, who didn’t show enough to convince anybody he is a reliable option following his move from the Cincinnati Bengals. His new deal is much more team-friendly and there might be a chance of further progress with more in the way of talent around him.
Another who went into the offseason facing an uncertain future was Matt Paradis. The center did perform far better in Year 2 with the team, but the savings involved with an early release made the Boise State product a potential salary-cap sacrifice.
Instead, the Panthers restructured his deal and kept him around. This stable veteran presence will be key for Sam Darnold on his road to redemption and hopefully, Paradis can also improve for the second straight campaign.
This is a huge season upcoming for Dennis Daley, who went from a possible starter to a relative afterthought by the time Carolina’s season came to a conclusion. The former sixth-round pick is now fighting for his spot on the roster and it’s going to take an exceptional training camp to force his way back into the coaching staff’s plans.
Aaron Monteiro, Mike Horton, and Sam Tecklenburg are still seen as development projects. But the pair will also need to raise their respective games with the introduction of some new college recruits to compete for their spots.