The Panthers are going to see a major change at the defensive tackle position this offseason. Veterans Gerald McCoy and Kyle Love are both about to become free agents and it sounds like the team won’t be picking up Dontari Poe’s option for 2020, as expected.
That means they’ll need to bring in a couple more interior defensive linemen to help fill the void. In that spirit, our next 2020 potential free agent target profile is Michael Pierce of the Ravens.
Career stats:
Pierce went undrafted after playing his college career at Samford. Baltimore picked him up in May of 2016. Since then, he’s played in 60 games, earning 30 starts. Pierce has totaled 3.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for a loss and four forced fumbles.
Pros:
Replacing Poe means the Panthers have to find a run-stopper to take over the spot in the middle of their defensive line. That’s exactly where Pierce thrives. He has been one of the NFL’s top run defenders the last couple of years. He’s also improved as a pass rusher since coming into the league. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted 21 pressures in 2018.
Cons:
Pierce is 27 years old and there are a number of interior linemen in this free agent class who are better than he is. His production dropped off a little bit in 2019 as well, which might be a concern. The main issue with Pierce is that he’s relatively limited as he pretty much exclusively fits as a 3-4 nose tackle and early-down run stopper.
Probability: Medium
Pierce is far from the only interesting name at DT who is about to become a free agent. Guys like Javon Hargrave, Leonard Williams, D.J. Reader, Mike Daniels and Chris Jones should all command more on the open market. Given his career numbers and age, signing Pierce wouldn’t break the bank.
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