5 former Carolina Panthers players who’ll be missed most in 2022
By Dean Jones
Haason Reddick – Former Carolina Panthers OLB
Acquiring Haason Reddick in 2021 free agency was a tremendous piece of business by the Carolina Panthers. The outside linebacker was a commanding force flying off the edge en route to 11 sacks, which placed him among the league’s top pass-rushers over a two-year period after finally being put in the best possible position to thrive.
Of course, this brought on a dilemma for the Panthers. Extending Reddick would have cost a serious amount of money and general manager Scott Fitterer’s comments at the NFL Scouting Combine outlining they would let him test the free-agent market meant the writing was on the wall.
Sure enough, Reddick was not a free agent for long and quickly signed a lucrative contract with the Philadelphia Eagles soon after the legal tampering period opened. While he was thoroughly deserving of such a financial commitment, it gives Carolina a tough ask replicating such outstanding production within a crucial area of the field.
The Panthers do have Brian Burns and Marquis Haynes returned on a new deal. Much will also be expected of Yetur Gross-Matos after flashing real promise down the stretch in 2021.
Carolina could also look towards the draft for an exciting college recruit. But Reddick’s output and especially in key moments will be hard to replace.