4 Carolina Panthers players who clung to their roster spot in 2022

Sean Chandler – Carolina Panthers S

Much like the situation with Sam Franklin, the presence of Sean Chandler was a surprise to some. The veteran safety gained plenty of reps on the rotation in 2021, but conceding a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted coupled with some ineffective run stopping meant others could have been preferred.

The Carolina Panthers place a strong emphasis on those lower down the pecking order lending their support to special teams. Those in power thought Chandler could offer more in this regard than Juston Burris and Kenny Robinson despite the latter making some splash plays and even scoring a touchdown last season in this area of play.

Chandler is a former Matt Rhule college player from Temple. This has been known to help regarding roster spots, even if the head coach’s influence is fading in that regard if the release of seventh-round selection Kalon Barnes is any indication.

Whether this results in the same amount of playing time for Chandler in 2022 is unlikely. Xavier Woods has made a smooth transition to a starting role following his free-agent switch from the Minnesota Vikings, which can hopefully provide Jeremy Chinn with the productive partner that’s been lacking.

This could be the last chance saloon for Chandler in Carolina. But in all honesty, he can count himself extremely fortunate to still find himself on the 53-man roster.