4 Carolina Panthers on the hot seat entering Week 4 vs. Vikings
By Dean Jones
Jeremy Chinn - Carolina Panthers DB/LB
The Minnesota Vikings gave Jeremy Chinn his crowning moment as a professional so far. His two defensive touchdowns in consecutive plays at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2020 were unforgettable, even if the Carolina Panthers somehow found a way to lose as then-head coach Matt Rhule's inept situational football became exposed.
Since that outstanding rookie campaign, things have tailed off for Chinn. There was hope things would improve within Ejiro Evero's defensive scheme given the athletic attributes at his disposal, but the former second-round selection looks like a square peg in a round hole through the first three weeks.
Chinn's deficiencies in coverage are there for all to see. The Panthers just haven't worked out how best to utilize the Southern Illinois product, which is either an indictment on coaching or how the previous regime developed him early on.
More reps could be coming Chinn's way this weekend with Xavier Woods out of the lineup and expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks with a hamstring issue. That would mean putting him on the backend alongside Vonn Bell, although Sam Franklin Jr. will also fancy his chances of additional playing time, too.
It's time for Chinn to remind the world what he's capable of. Whether the coaching staff is competent enough to put him in the best possible positions to thrive is a different story.
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