5 biggest Carolina Panthers positions of need this offseason

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Moving Jeremy Chinn back to his preferred position of safety didn’t really impact the player’s level of performance all that much. The Southern Illinois product is one of those rare athletes that would thrive almost anywhere, which brought yet another 100-tackle campaign and some truly memorable moments thrown in for good measure.

Just what the Carolina Panthers are going to do with Chinn moving forward is unclear. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow hinted at the possibility of reverting the do-it-all player to an outside linebacker in 2022 – which might be a shrewd move considering how impactful he was at the second level during his rookie campaign.

Shifting Chinn again would leave the Panthers desperately short on the backend. Juston Burris and Sean Chandler are both out of contract, with Sam Franklin’s regression in the starting lineup also something to consider.

There remains hope that Myles Hartsfield can continue emerging. But the Panthers need another productive figure within the secondary and if Chinn does go back to the linebacker corps, this becomes even more of a priority.

Chinn will always be a hybrid. A player that has the athleticism and instincts to make a significant impression on any given down.

However, another quality player or two wouldn’t hurt, either.