5 defensive ends the Carolina Panthers should target in 2022 free agency
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers should target Charles Harris
- 2021 salary – $1.175 million
- Spotrac protected contract – 4 yrs $34.7M, average annual salary $8.6M.
Another player who had a bounce-back year was Charles Harris of the Detroit Lions. After being taken No. 22 overall in 2017, the lineman has already played for three teams in his short NFL career after spells with the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, and recently with Dan Campbell’s men.
Harris is known to fans of the Carolina Panthers after he was ejected in a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Falcons for a hit on Teddy Bridgewater.
He rebounded well in 2021, which could land him a big payday somewhere this spring. After totaling just 6.5 sacks and 79 combined tackles in his first four seasons in the league, the former Missouri man ended the recent campaign with 7.5 sacks and 65 tackles, showing some of the talents that saw him taken in the first round in 2017.
At only 26 years old, Harris is still a relatively young player. Following such an impressive season on a struggling team that showed some signs of life down the stretch, the edge defender has plenty of positive momentum heading into the offseason.
With a smaller cap hit than the likes of Haason Reddick and Jadeveon Clowney, Harris could be someone the Panthers look at as a cheaper starting option in 2022.