Panthers balance sheet: Strong offseason leaves defense in the black
By Dean Jones
The big defensive changes
One cannot accuse the Carolina Panthers of sitting on their hands in the pursuit of further development this offseason. They allocated the majority of funds available in free agency on improving the defense, which now looks far stronger than the one which finished the 2020 campaign.
Zach Kerr, Tre Boston, and Kawann Short were the big salary-cap sacrifices, which were expected in the current financial climate. The likes of Corn Elder, Rasul Douglas, and Tahir Whitehead were not brought back, leaving general manager Scott Fitterer with plenty of work to do as he looked to replace some established members of the locker room.
In came Haason Reddick, Morgan Fox, DaQuan Jones, A.J. Bouye, and Denzel Perryman in free agency, who should all be able to make their presence felt in some form.
This bears special significance to the front seven, which could improve dramatically if the recent arrivals all hit the ground running.
If that wasn’t enough, the Panthers used the No. 8 overall selection on South Carolina‘s stud cornerback Jaycee Horn, who could revolutionize the defensive approach right from the outset.
Those in power also selected Daviyon Nixon, Keith Taylor Jr., and Phil Hoskins throughout the busy selection process, with linebacker Paddy Fisher also joining the ranks from the undrafted free-agent market.
In terms of recruitment, things couldn’t have gone much better for the Panthers’ defense this offseason. Putting it all together on the field is another matter entirely.