6 team legends who could help the current Panthers most in 2021
By Dean Jones
Julius Peppers – Former Carolina Panthers DE
The Carolina Panthers do have plenty of options on their defensive front heading into the 2021 season. But it’s hard to deny that adding Julius Peppers to this group would be a mouth-watering proposition.
Peppers is one of the greatest pass-rushers to ever play his trade on the gridiron. He’s a prime candidate to be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer and the former North Carolina sensation put up the sort of numbers throughout his career that any aspiring star dreams of.
There is just no telling whether Haason Reddick’s 12.5-sack campaign with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020 was a flash in the pan or the start of something more until we see him on the field in Carolina.
Yetur Gross-Matos also showed promise as a rookie despite some injury problems. So there could be more to come from the Penn State product with a more structured offseason under his belt.
That being said, if the Panthers had the chance to put Peppers opposite Brian Burns on the edge, it would give them arguably the NFL’s best tandem.
Burns is set for superstardom next season after making some incredible strides in Year 2. He looks the complete defensive end and a double-digit sack campaign is a real possibility with more in the way of talent around him on the front seven.
Peppers was a physical phenom who left his mark in Carolina, even though he did spend a good period of time away from the organization with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.