5 former Carolina Panthers players who thrived elsewhere in 2021
By Dean Jones
Denzel Perryman – Former Carolina Panthers LB
Acquiring Denzel Perryman in free agency was seen as an impressive move by the Carolina Panthers. His production with the Los Angeles Chargers was superb on a rotational role and the former Miami sensation was expected to fill a gaping void left by Luke Kuechly at the second level providing his transition was a smooth one.
Sadly, this didn’t work out.
Despite the player boasting some impressive athletic traits, he never quite hit it off with Matt Rhule, who announced Jermaine Carter as the team’s starter at middle linebacker pretty early in training camp. In a somewhat surprising move, they also traded Perryman to the Las Vegas Raiders for nothing more than a late-round draft selection.
Whether Perryman’s vaccination status at the time forced Carolina’s hand is up for debate. However, he got jabbed pretty soon after his arrival in Las Vegas and went on to have a sensational campaign that ended with a deserved selection to the Pro Bowl.
To make matters worse, Carter was inconsistent at best in 2021 and with his contract now up, the Panthers have a big call to make regarding a potential extension or going with another alternative.
Letting Perryman leave was a strange move at the time and even more so now. He was a significant factor in the Raiders reaching the postseason and at just 29 years old, there might be even more to come from the player next time around.