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Joe Person answers some questions regarding Panthers' thinking on free agency.

top dawg

By top dawg,
in Carolina Panthers

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top dawg Grand Master

top dawg

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Say what you want about Joe Person, he gives some good insight on the Panthers' thinking about free agency this year (which in some cases applies to every year). Even for some of us know-it-alls, reading this Q&A is a much needed confirmation during this expectant time of year (if only to keep our "reality" in check).

http://m.wbtv.com/wbtv/db_330726/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=LhlFA9pe

"Q. So with all that cash available, this is the year Gettleman splurges on a big-name free agent, right?

A. Not exactly.

That’s not Gettleman’s approach, regardless of the Panthers’ cap positioning.

'We have not spent big money on a free agent. You guys know that,' Gettleman told reporters at the NFL scouting combine last month. 'It’s about your own, your core.'

Gettleman pointed out the Panthers shopped at Tiffany’s last year by taking care of their own, re-signing Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis to long-term extensions."

 

Keep the insight coming, Smoking Joe!

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Frank Hollywood Newbie

Frank Hollywood

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I'd have to disagree with Person having any insight on the Panthers' plans.

He writes with 100% speculation and has zero insider information. At the conclusion of the 2011 season, I asked him on Twitter about resigning Shockey and he said it was their top priority. (They didn't even want him back) There's many more instances of him completely whiffing on guesses in which he makes to seem like he has info. 

I will say his knowledge of the Panthers have improved over the course of the last year which allows for decent articles, but he still doesn't know any more than the average fan IMO.

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KB_fan Proficient

KB_fan

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One of the best write ups I saw about Panthers free agency priorities was the "offseason outlook" from Pro Football Rumors

http://www.profootballrumors.com/nfl-offseason-outlook-carolina-panthers-2016/

Here's part of it:
 

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Elsewhere in the secondary, veteran corners Charles Tillman and Cortland Finnegan are also headed for free agency. He just turned 35 years old, but Tillman started 12 games (and played decently) in 2016, and has made it clear he’ll only continue his NFL career with Carolina. A one-year – possibly minimum salary benefit – contract could make sense, but I’ll predict that Tillman ultimately retires. Finnegan, meanwhile, was brought in as more of a stopgap, and I don’t expect him to be retained.

At safety, Roman Harper has started all 32 games for Carolina over the past two seasons after joining the club on a low-cost deal prior to the 2014 season. He’s 33 now, and Pro Football Focus didn’t rate Harper’s play very highly in 2015, grading him as the No. 53 safety among 88 qualifiers. Harper will cost $900K against the Panthers’ 2016 salary cap thanks to a void provision in his contract, but I think the team will move on and possibly try to find a superior option through free agency or the draft.

Defensive tackle Kyle Love, something of an inspirational story given that he’s battled diabetes throughout his NFL career, seems to have finally found a home in Carolina after bouncing around the league for a few seasons. He played about 30% of the the club’s defensive snaps, teaming with Dwan Edwards to form nice backup rotation behind starters Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei. Those latter two players are about to get expensive, so retaining a key depth option like Love could be smart.

Let’s move to the offensive side of the ball, where wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery‘s numbers have been falling for three consecutive years. Even with Kelvin Benjamin lost for the season, Cotchery saw his role in the offense decrease, as he hauled in only 39 receptions for less than 500 yards. Benjamin will return in 2016, and with further development expected from Devin Funchess and Corey Brown, the Panthers can probably move from Cotchery as he enters his age-34 season.

2015 Pro Bowl fullback/running back Mike Tolbert is also a free agent, but it’s highly likely that he’ll return to Carolina, where he has spent the past four years of his career. Coming off a four-year contract during which he averaged $2.5MM annually, Tolbert could see a nice pay raise, albeit over a shorter term. The 30-year-old Tolbert recently said that he’d love to stay with the Panthers, but did allow that he would consider moving on.

Of the Panthers’ free agent offensive linemen, the only one who played more than 10% of the club’s snaps was Amini Silatolu, who did so while filling in at left guard for the injured Andrew Norwell. A second-round pick in 2012, Silatolu started 15 games during his rookie year, but has logged just 13 starts in the three years since. He’s still only 27, so Silatolu might look to latch on with a team where he has a better shot at returning to a starting role.

 

Positions Of Need:
 

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So if merely adding depth at defensive end is the Panthers’ goal, they could enter the free agent market, and perhaps target someone like the recently-released Mario Williams. Obviously, Carolina won’t be able to pay Williams the $16MM per year he was earning in Buffalo (he’s not worth that amount, clearly), and other interested clubs could probably offer more. But Williams, who has never played in a postseason game, might be intrigued by the idea of joining a ready-made contender, albeit at a reduced priced. On the cheaper end of the scale, Wallace Gilberry is coming off an effective run as a rotational end in Cincinnati, and could be a nice backup piece, while former Jet/Dolphin Quinton Coples reportedly met with the Panthers this week.

If Carolina wants to add an end that will contribute both now and into the future, the team will look to the draft, and while it’s difficult to find a premier edge rusher at pick No. 31, there is no shortage of prospects who might be available. Bucky Brooks of NFL.com has the Panthers taking Georgia defender Emmanuel Ogbah in his most recent mock draft, while Michigan State’s Shilique Calhoun, Clemson’s Kevin Dodd, and Florida’s Jonathan Bullard could also be on the board.

In the secondary, safety is also an area of concern, especially if Roman Harper is not re-signed. At nearly every other position listed in this section, I think the Panthers would be fine combining draft picks with internal options, but to upgrade at safety, Carolina should take a hard look at using what cap space it has. The most obvious addition would be Eric Weddle — not only does he have a history with Ron Rivera and secondary coach Steve Wilks, but he’s indicated that he’d like to join a contending club. Tashaun Gipson, George Iloka, and Rodney McLeod could also be under consideration if the Panthers are willing to spend a little.

 

 

Extension Candidates/Contract Issues:

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Kawann Short was a breakout star last season, posting 11 sacks from the interior, and grading as a top-10 defensive tackle per Pro Football Focus. Short, 27, is entering the final season of his rookie contract, and because he wasn’t a first-round pick (he was selected 44th overall in 2013), the Panthers don’t hold a fifth-year option on him for the 2017 season.

Short will easily be the top option among the 2017 class of free agent defensive tackles, so if he were to hit the open market, he’d be looking at a rather large payday. Since he holds so much leverage, there’s no reason that Short shouldn’t push for a deal that brushes the top of the market — Ndamukong Suh‘s massive Dolphins contract is an outlier, but Marcell Dareus and Gerald McCoy each received more than $95MM in total value. However, Dareus and McCoy did receive vastly different levels of guaranteed money ($43MM for Dareus versus just ~$15MM for McCoy), so that could be an area of negotiation for Short and the Panthers.

Carolina would probably balk at such an asking price given that Short has really only produced for one season, and if no deal can be reached by this time next year, Short could be a prime candidate for the franchise tag, with a likely cost of roughly $14MM. None of the Panthers’ other 2017 free agents would warrant the tag, and the option might force Short to take a bit less money.

Carolina’s other starting defensive tackle, Star Lotulelei, was selected in the first round, meaning the Panthers can control him — if they so choose — through the 2017 season via the fifth-year option. Lotulelei hasn’t been a star, and he really struggled in 2016, though his play could have been affected by a foot injury (he had surgery last January and dealt with complications in training camp, ultimately missing the first two games of the season). Carolina will surely exercise his option (price tag: ~$7MM), but with the team expected to prioritize an extension for Short, a long-term agreement for Lotulelei could be on the back-burner.

Safety Kurt Coleman was excellent in 2015, adding a stabilizing force in the back end of the Panthers’ secondary. He’s entering the final season of a two-year contract, and he’s set to count just over $2MM on this year’s cap. If Carolina wants to keep Coleman around past 2016, I wonder if they might extend him now and add a bit more guaranteed money to his ’16 base salary, thereby reducing the potential dead money down the line. Then again, Coleman has had a pretty up-and-down career, so perhaps the Panthers will want him to prove his worth again during the upcoming season.

On offense, left guard Andrew Norwell is extension-eligible after just two seasons instead of the standard three as a result of having been an undrafted free agent. He has made former second-rounder Amini Silatolu irrelevant, taking over on the inside and grading as the league’s eighth-best guard in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. Locking up Norwell, and, following this season, right guard Trai Turner, are important tasks in the effort to keep Cam Newton upright.

 

 

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t96 Grand Master

t96

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23 minutes ago, KB_fan said:

By the way, I'm surprised no one has commented on Person's speculation that we could be interested in Bruce Irvin.

What say you Panthers fans?  Are you Interested in him?  Yea or Nay?

No. Gonna get paid a lot and fits more of a 3-4 OLB than 4-3 DE. Has done well against us because our tackles have struggled against that type of pass rusher. Doesn't fit our scheme at all.

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t96 Grand Master

t96

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24 minutes ago, Peppers90 NC said:

Don't him and Coleman both lean more towards FS?

Yes. However both are pretty versatile which is exactly what Rivera loves. Either at strong would be a huge huge upgrade from Harper. I think Weddle would play free and move Coleman to strong which I actually think suits his skill set better, but they would both move around. And I could see packages with Weddle as nickel and Bene and Norman outside with Tre and Coleman playing back probably Kurt at free and Tre at strong. Would be a very exciting secondary with Weddle added and Bene outside full time and Josh still here. Need to boost that pass rush though. Our 2013 D was better than 2015 despite a mediocre patchwork secondary because of how damn good Hardy and CJ were.

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According to ESPN Stats & Information, Weddle played 490 snaps at free safety, 350 snaps at strong safety, 111 snaps lined up in the slot and 10 snaps on the perimeter at cornerback in 2014.

 

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