The Carolina Panthers made several impressive signings this offseason. Most of them rightfully came on the defensive side of the football.
Although players don't report for training camp until next week, one new addition is already making his presence felt in pursuit of solving a critical need in Carolina.
If there was one fatal flaw regarding Ejiro Evero's 3-4 scheme since he became defensive coordinator, it was the lack of a legitimate nose tackle. The Panthers stubbornly kept Shy Tuttle as the front's anchor despite the veteran not being suited to the role. After watching Carolina give up more than 3,000 rushing yards at 179.8 per game last season, second-year general manager Dan Morgan took matters into his own hands.
The Panthers had a specific target in mind, signing Bobby Brown III to a three-year, $21 million contract with a $5.5 million signing bonus and $9.57 million guaranteed in free agency. He has previous experience working with Evero and maintains a close relationship with A'Shawn Robinson, whom he worked with on the Los Angeles Rams. These components have enabled him to transition seamlessly to the ranks.
This could be the answer to Carolina's prayers on the defensive line interior. Brown can absorb double-teams effectively and clog up space for others to do damage. A lot of his exceptional work doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but head coach Dave Canales believes he's got the scope to make everyone around him better.
"So just having those guys feeding off each other, and then the size, the power and he's also such an amazing athlete. He did a great job this spring. I think he put on seven or eight pounds of lean muscle mass. So, he's been involved in what we're doing, he's working his tail off and he's a great example to the young guys."Dave Canales via USA Today
If Brown can meet expectations and build on an impressive start to his Panthers' tenure, it'll change everything. With Derrick Brown returning from injury and free-agent signing Tershawn Wharton also providing an upgrade, Evero's 3-4 front could go from a demoralizing weakness to an area of strength quickly.
The fact that Brown's been working so hard throughout the offseason is proof that complacency isn't an issue. Some players can rein it back slightly after getting paid, but that's not the case here. If anything, the extra financial security is going to inspire the former fourth-round pick out of Texas A&M to even greater heights moving forward.
And make no mistake, that's going to benefit the Panthers considerably.