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The Carolina Panthers have hired Scott Fitterer to replace Marty Hurney as general manager. While there are a few notable youngsters, Fitterer inherits a lopsided roster with significant holes to fill on both sides of the ball, especially in defense, who was the youngest unit in the NFL this season.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at four capable defensive veterans who are poised to become free agents who share a connection to Fitterer from his time with the Seattle Seahawks.
FS Earl Thomas
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 31
Pros: Carolina’s defense is arguably the weakest at the security post, where they rotated Tre Boston, Juston Burris, Sam Franklin and Jeremy Chinn during the 2020 season. Signing Thomas would instantly improve this group by one. mile. He is arguably the most rebellious defensive back of the era and has a knack for forcing turnovers, with 30 interceptions and 12 forced fumbles in his career. Thomas is a seven-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro, and a Super Bowl champion who would allow defensive coordinator Phil Snow to do all kinds of cool things schematically. He is also able to perform at a high level. In 2019, he gave a rating of 24.2 passers on cover.
Cons: On the pitch Thomas is a sure thing. Intangible assets are a concern, however. Although he dominated the NFL for much of the past decade, Thomas hasn’t been on any team this year. He was released by the Ravens after battling a teammate during training camp and his behavior off the pitch in recent years has been labeled a yellow flag.
CB Richard Sherman
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 32
Pros: For a while, Sherman was by far the most capable cornerback in the sport. He was an integral part of the largest defensive unit of the past 20 years and frequently blocked the entire half of the field. Sherman has 36 career interceptions and 115 incredible pass breakouts. Even though he’s well past his prime, Sherman still qualifies as a serious upgrade from every other Panthers cornerback except Donte Jackson. Five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, Sherman also has an off-the-charts football IQ that would help develop the Carolina high school kid, as he did in San Francisco.
Cons: 2013 was a long time ago and Sherman is nowhere near the locked-down defender he was. In 2020, with the 49ers, he allowed four touchdowns in coverage in just five games and an assist rating of 116.2, a huge jump from 63.0 the previous season. Sherman has also missed 21 games in the past four years due to injury, including 11 this year.
LB KJ Wright
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 31
Pros: Wright isn’t as decorated as some of his more famous former Legion of Boom teammates. However, he’s been one of the best off-the-ball linebackers in the league for a decade now. After 144 regular season games, he’s still going strong. This year, Wright had 86 combined tackles, including 11 for loss. There is no better linebacker in the NFL to sniff out screens and shut them down. Like Sherman, Wright’s intelligence is said to have a positive influence on young defenders.
Cons: It’s extremely rare for a linebacker to play as long as Wright did. At some point, it is inevitable that a significant drop will occur. This season, we may have seen the first signs of that drop – he allowed four touchdowns and a 106.6 passer rating in cover and unusually missed 10 tackles (10.4%). He’s not a middle linebacker either, which is where the Panthers need help the most.
BY Jadeveon Clowney
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 27
Pros: When in good health, Clowney remains one of the most disruptive defenders in all of the NFL. In 83 career games, he has 32 sacks, 86 quarterback hits, 75 tackles for loss, nine forced fumbles and 18 SEBs. Clowney spent the 2019 season in Seattle, where they put him to work across their entire defensive line. This versatility could be just as useful in Carolina.
Cons: Clowney is an incredibly gifted running defenseman, but he’s been much less successful as a passer in his career. Although he is constantly under pressure from the opposing quarterbacks, he has always struggled to convert those opportunities into sacks. Clowney also missed half of the 2020 season with a knee injury. The Panthers are pretty loaded, so this would be seen as a luxury signing that they just can’t afford unless Clowney is convinced to take a cut in his hometown.
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