4 Carolina Panthers living on borrowed time after free agency upheaval
By Dean Jones
Amare Barno - Carolina Panthers OLB
Trading star pass-rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants was shocking but expected at the same time. The Carolina Panthers mismanaged his contract situation terribly under the previous regime. Unfortunately for Dan Morgan, he became backed into a corner and forced to clean up such an ungodly mess.
Frankie Luvu is on the Washington Commanders and Yetur Gross-Matos joined the San Francisco 49ers. This completely evaporated whatever pass-rush the Panthers had under Ejiro Evero. It's unlikely that D.J. Wonnum and K'Lavon Chaisson will be enough to fill the void.
The Panthers are going to add more to their edge rush. What this means for Amare Barno's future is unclear, but things don't look too promising for the former sixth-round selection all things considered.
Barno is a solid special teamer. His influence on the defensive rotation wasn't great last season, failing to gain a sack from 20 percent of Carolina's defensive snaps. With Wonnum and Chaisson already on board - coupled with the promise of one or two more players to come - it puts the former Virginia Tech standout under immense pressure to make a good impression.
All hope is not lost, but the extra urgency surrounding Barno's fortunes once the time for organized team activities arrives is glaringly obvious. Nothing less than significant improvements will do.