Top 10 Carolina Panthers performers from the 2021 season so far
By Dean Jones
Jeremy Chinn – Carolina Panthers S
It’s been a quiet sophomore season from the outside looking in for Jeremy Chinn. Moving back to safety has meant sacrificing the splash plays that littered his rookie year as an outside linebacker, but his athleticism and aggression remain a key component on the Carolina Panthers defense and this should continue for the foreseeable future.
Chinn still has some problems in coverage and also appears more comfortable coming down to assist at the second level. But it’s hard to envisage just how much the Panthers would be struggling on the backend without him.
Much like Derrick Brown, Chinn gets held to a higher standard than most. However, the future remains incredibly bright where the Southern Illinois product is concerned.
D.J. Moore – Carolina Panthers WR
It’s been another season where D.J. Moore has been dealt a poor hand with no real consistency at the quarterback position. The early chemistry between the wide receiver and Sam Darnold was promising, but it tailed off pretty quickly when the former first-round pick began to struggle.
That being said, Moore remains well on course for his third consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season. No mean feat considering everything else going on around the Maryland product since arriving in the NFL.
He is also comfortably the best receiving option Carolina has right now. Moore will get his fifth-year option picked up, although the wideout might have to wait until 2023 for a lucrative extension.