Panthers 5 Priority In-House Free Agents
Nov 26, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Mario Addison (97) during the game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. The Panthers defeat the Cowboys 33-14. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Carolina Panthers have a number of big stars and role players on their list of free agents with a few who should be on the high priority list.
With the Carolina Panthers’ disappointing 2016 campaign behind them, the offseason has officially begun. With that come decisions that must be made in regards to who will don the black and blue in 2017 and who will walk in free agency.
More from Cat Crave
Out of 15 unrestricted and five restricted, Carolina has quite a few big and intriguing names on their list of potential free agents including names like Kawann Short, Charles Johnson and Ted Ginn Jr.
General manager Dave Gettleman is certainly no stranger to making tough decisions, even if they are questionable ones, so there’s truly no telling what moves he’ll choose to make with this list of players. One thing that is for sure, the Panthers cannot afford to lose the players in this group that performed well in a miserable 2016 season.
For a reference, the team re-signed just five of their 14 unrestricted free agents last offseason meaning a majority of the players listed likely will be moving on. There are a few though that should be seen as priorities for Gettleman to work out an agreement with at all costs when everything is said and done.
Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive back Leonard Johnson (23) breaks up a two point conversion pass during the fourth quarter intended for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver John Brown (12) at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Cardinals 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Leonard Johnson
CB
He isn’t the biggest name on the list but Leonard Johnson is still a high priority name that Carolina should re-sign this offseason. The five-year veteran signed with the Panthers late last summer and after missing the first six weeks of the season with a leg injury, came in as one of the team’s most impactful contributors to close out the year.
Prior to Johnson’s debut in Week 8, post bye, the Carolina secondary was a complete disaster. They had just given up 106 points and allowed opposing QBs to throw for 1,187 yards and nine touchdowns in a three week span. Yikes. The bye did wonders though by not only getting Johnson and others healthy, but also getting the secondary back in check.
Following from Week 8 and on, Johnson and company stepped up their play big time with the veteran corner helping to anchor the unit as the starting nickelback. In ten games, Johnson logged 30 total tackles and a sack but was better known for his consistent play against opposing slot receivers.
Johnson has already expressed his desire to return to the team according to Bill Voth at Black and Blue Review and would likely re-sign at a reasonable price making this move a no-brainer.
Nov 17, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn (19) catches a touchdown pass as New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Craig Robertson (52) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Ted Ginn Jr.
WR
The Panthers receiving corps was supposed to take a huge step forward this season getting Kelvin Benjamin back into the lineup and another year of experience for Devin Funchess, but instead they seemed to regress and weren’t nearly as consistent and Cam Newton and the offense needed them to be. But as has been the case every season with Carolina, Ted Ginn Jr. was a bright spot.
Everyone knows of Ginn Jr.’s struggles with hanging onto the ball and 2016 was no different. According to Sporting Charts, the Panthers receiver dropped a team high five passes with a 5.3% drop rate ranking him 20th in the league; not awful numbers but still not ones you’d like to see from a deep threat who finds himself wide open fairly often. With that though also comes Ginn Jr.’s playmaking ability which was also on display once again this season.
Ginn Jr. was third on the team with 54 catches for 752 yards and four touchdowns and caught nine passes of 20 yards or more and four of those going for 40+ yards with a long of 88 in Week 12. So while his drops on wide open deep throws are always going to baffle, his big plays will also be there and that’s what is worth hanging on to.
The 10-year vet has also expressed a desire to remain in Carolina as he has had easily his most productive years as a receiver with Newton as his quarterback and Ricky Proehl as his receivers coach and with the position still not as strong as it should be, Ginn Jr. should be a guy the Panthers make sure they keep on board.
Sep 18, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Mario Addison (97) lines up during the first half against the San Francisco 49ers at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the 49ers 46-27. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mario Addison
DE
Say what you will about the 2016 Panthers and their need for a consistent, pass rushing defensive end, but Mario Addison deserves recognition and with that, a hefty payday – preferably from the Carolina front office.
Addison was an undrafted free agent in 2011 and after bouncing around the league with little results, came to Carolina in 2012 and has provided a consistent pass rushing threat that has only improved with time. In each of the last three seasons, Addison has recorded six or more sacks with a career high this season of 9.5; all while playing primarily as a third-down specialist.
This year though, with pressure hard to come by early on, the Panthers did what they probably
More from Cat Crave
should have done a few seasons ago and started playing Addison full time at defensive end and got some stellar results. The six-year vet proved to be a force in run game this year racking up play after play against opposing rushing attacks and became a focal point of the defense.
With his career high sack total coming at the perfect time in a contract year, Addison could wind up commanding quite a pretty penny on the pass rushing market this spring but if the Panthers are smart and stick to their guns about paying their studs in trenches, they’ll make their top sack artist a high priority to retain.
Dec 11, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short (99) applies pressure to San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Kawann Short
DT
It’s as obvious as it gets but the Panthers MUST make the re-signing of Kawann Short a top one or two priority in this 2017 offseason.
Short has stepped up his game each year in the league with his official coming out party happening last season during the team’s Super Bowl run. Short followed it up with another solid year albeit with a slight drop-off in production simply from being schemed against. The defensive tackle was second on the team in sacks with six and seventh in tackles with 55. With his pass rushing stats slightly down, Short stepped up his run stuffing abilities as he stuffed eight runs for a total loss of 25 yards and was a consistent force once again along the interior of the defensive line. The four-year player even proved his versatility kicking out to defensive end quite a few times this year and still playing at a high level.
The lack of an agreement last offseason was somewhat of a concern going into the year as the money that would have gone to Josh Norman was presumably saved for Short but with the ninth highest cap space number according to Over The Cap (about $54,987,826) there’s more than enough to pay the key role players and still get Short signed to a contract he deserves.
Even after a somewhat down season in 2016, Carolina needs to make a deal happen with Short and after letting Josh Norman go to save money to do so, there’s no excuses for it not to get done and keep their stud anchor in the middle of the defense for years to come.
Sep 25, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers guard Andrew Norwell (68) blocks Minnesota Vikings defensive end Brian Robison (96) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. The Vikings would beat the Panthers 22-10. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Norwell
LG
The name Andrew Norwell probably doesn’t ring a bell for the majority of NFL fans but for the Panthers it’s a name that should be capitalized, bolded, underlined and circled next to the word “re-sign” on the offseason to-do list.
The third-year left guard has been a steady and fast rising star on the interior of the Panthers offensive line and by seasons end was the only player still starting at his original position. As part of the young dominant guard duo Carolina has, Norwell has thrived as a powerful run blocker helping to pace three consecutive top ten rushing attacks. In Bleacher Report’s NFL 1,000 report that grades players at each position, the Panthers left guard ranked as the ninth best guard in the league with an overall grade of 73 – just four points behind the number one guard.
Norwell is the lone unrestricted free agent on this list meaning he can receive a predetermined one-year deal that can then be beaten by another team, which can then be matched by Carolina or they’ll get a draft pick. Barring some truly bizarre circumstances though, there’s little to no chance of the Panthers not matching an offer on their star left guard.
This season was a shining example of why the Panthers offense needs consistent line play for Newton to thrive and with some question marks surrounding the two tackle positions, securing Norwell and keeping the guard spots locked up and free of those same questions needs to be priority number one.