Bill Barnwell: 5 offseason moves Panthers must make

[Captain Morgan]

hey Gettleman 

[shaqattaq]

On 2/15/2019 at 10:17 PM, Unbreakable Split Glass said:

The Falcons wont tender CB Brian Poole which will make him a free agent. Poole would be an absolute upgrade over Captain. 

I admit that I don't know much about Poole, but I like what I read in this article (written on a Bears site). His stats and durability look good to me, definitely an upgrade to Captain, who's best days are done. 

"Poole was Atlanta’s primary nickel cornerback since he signed a contract as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Last season alone, he came up with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. On top of that he finished with 74 tackles, six passes defended, and three sacks. In other words, he seemed to fill up the stat sheet last year.

He’s also been regarded as very good as a blitzer, something that might make new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano’s ears perk up. His level of physicality gave the Falcons the confidence to use him more as a blitzer, knowing if he got to the quarterback he would finish the job.

Based on that level of productivity, it was somewhat of a surprising move by the Falcons — especially considering how relatively cheap his contract would have been. In addition, he is only 26 years old and has only missed one game in his three-year career."

 

Another idea I've been toying with, what would Gaulden look like at nickel? Now that Reid has been signed for 3 years, Gaulden looks like a back up strong safety to me. He was a pretty good nickel at Tennessee.

[Unbreakable Split Glass]

2 hours ago, shaqattaq said:

I admit that I don't know much about Poole, but I like what I read in this article (written on a Bears site). His stats and durability look good to me, definitely an upgrade to Captain, who's best days are done. 

"Poole was Atlanta’s primary nickel cornerback since he signed a contract as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Last season alone, he came up with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. On top of that he finished with 74 tackles, six passes defended, and three sacks. In other words, he seemed to fill up the stat sheet last year.

He’s also been regarded as very good as a blitzer, something that might make new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano’s ears perk up. His level of physicality gave the Falcons the confidence to use him more as a blitzer, knowing if he got to the quarterback he would finish the job.

Based on that level of productivity, it was somewhat of a surprising move by the Falcons — especially considering how relatively cheap his contract would have been. In addition, he is only 26 years old and has only missed one game in his three-year career."

 

Another idea I've been toying with, what would Gaulden look like at nickel? Now that Reid has been signed for 3 years, Gaulden looks like a back up strong safety to me. He was a pretty good nickel at Tennessee.

I much rather see Gaulden at CB than S

[TheSpecialJuan]

Btw, Barnwell's piece on all NFC teams is an absolute must read. He gives the most in depth and informative information out there. 

[TheSpecialJuan]

CAROLINA PANTHERS

 

Ron Rivera is a smart man. That's why he and I are on the same page. The Panthers' head coach said last week that the team's offseason agenda is all about protecting Cam Newton, who's coming off shoulder surgery. Ding, ding, ding! That means getting more help for him on the line and at the skill positions. Carolina needs to revamp the defense, as well.

1) Upgrade the O-line. Carolina has several O-linemen that are impending free agents, including OT Daryl Williams, and C Ryan Kalil is retiring. Finding Kalil's replacement must be a priority, and the Panthers need better depth across the line. I'd look to the free-agent market and to the draft for some young guys who can come in and compete right away. With a QB like Newton, you can never have too many good players to help keep him upright.

2) Build consistent pass rush. With Julius Peppers' retirement, Carolina should be looking for pass rushers in the draft and/or free agency to give this unit some burst. Possible fits for the Panthers' 4-3 scheme include Brandon Graham, whose contract with the Eagles is due to expire.

3) Get playmakers for back end of the defense. Re-signing Eric Reid was a start, but the Panthers still need the type of playmaker in the secondary that they've missed since Josh Norman left for Washington after the team's Super Bowl run in 2015. Without some upgrades in the back end, the group will continue to struggle against the powerhouse offenses in the rest of the division.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001018075/article/if-i-were-gm-three-offseason-moves-for-each-nfc-south-team

[ncfan]

1. Lock up Dwill:  there isnt  a true LT in this class behind possibly Jonah Williams, and he even struggled against top competition such as Ferrell.  Moton will have to be our LT. There isnt a upgrade we can afford and no draft pick that will be better.  Williams has proven he is solid at RT and already has chemistry with Turner on that right side.  He isnt going to cost big LT money.  Lock him down and solidify not rebuild that right side.

2. Center: we just lost our All-Pro starting Center, who has been our starter and anchor on that OL for the last 11 years.  We HAVE to find someone.  16 is to high to draft one, but that 2nd round pick would be a Real sweet spot to draft one of the top Centers of this draft.

2b. LG: Van Roten was avg- but the loss of Norwell REALLY showed.

 

3. Edge Rusher- we flat sucked at rushing the passer this year.  The Giants had among the worst OL in the NFL and Eli possibly the most immobile QB.  Yet we touched him less than he did in training camp with the red "dont touch the QB" Jersey.  This draft is Stacked with pass rushers, we cant come out of round 1 without a Stud day 1 impact guy.

4. CB: todays NFL you need MULTIPLE really good CBs.  Von Miller and that front 7 got a ton of credit in 2015, but the trio of CBs they had were Huge.  Captain, our #3 CB last year was a  piHuge liability last year and really hurt us on big key plays.

[TheSpecialJuan]

On 2/14/2019 at 2:01 PM, TheSpecialJuan said:

2. Find a free safety. The Panthers re-signed Eric Reid after he impressed as a midseason signing, but they probably need to find him a partner in center field. Mike Adams, who was the starter a year ago, is probably best suited for a reserve player/coach role at this point. Carolina has 2018 third-rounder Rashaan Gaulden in the mix, but he's still converting to the position after playing mostly corner in college and likely profiles as a strong safety, where Reid is best.

The good news for the Panthers is that the veteran market is deep at free safety, given the presence of Earl Thomas, Tyrann Mathieu and several others. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix could make sense here given his likely price tag.

3. Add an edge rusher. The Panthers finished 25th in sack rate last season, with a surprisingly mediocre season from Kawann Short; the edge rushers behind Mario Addison didn't do very much to move the needle, either. Addison finished with 10 sacks, but Julius Peppers was the only other defender with more than 3.5 takedowns, and the future Hall of Famer just announced his retirement. Wes Horton, who started eight games a year ago, is also a free agent.

Again, the Panthers find themselves in the right moment for adding defensive line help, given that this is a draft that is absolutely loaded with front-seven defenders. GM Marty Hurney should be able to grab an impactful pass-rusher for coach Ron Rivera with the 16th overall pick. The Panthers also could dip into the free-agent market for help, where a veteran such as Benson Mayowa or Bruce Irvin could contribute in a rotational role.

4. Decline the fifth-year option on Vernon Butler. The Louisiana Tech product simply hasn't improved since entering the NFL, and in a Panthers organization that has done a good job of developing defensive linemen, the onus for that would seem to fall on Butler. The 24-year-old was a healthy scratch in December. It wouldn't be a shock if he were on another roster come Week 1. A reunion with Gettleman in New York is entirely plausible.

5. Draft a replacement for Ryan Kalil. Carolina's longtime center (and Matt's brother) retired this offseason, leaving the Panthers with a hole at the pivot. There are centers such as Mitch Morse and Matt Paradis on the free-agent market, but the Panthers might prefer to lean toward the draft for cap reasons. Carolina already met with NC State product Garrett Bradbury at the Senior Bowl, and adding at least one rookie to compete with Tyler Larsen for the starting job would make sense.

Taking a look back - Barnwell was spot on and even nailed the Irvin acquisition.

You can see that Marty has accomplished the majority of his free agency goals. It's clear that we will focus on DE and FS with our 1st 4 picks.