The Panthers have a lot of work to do this offseason to turn around a secondary that disappointed again. From Donte Jackson’s lapses in coverage to Eric Reid’s bad angles to James Bradberry’s frustrating inconsistency, there were a ton of mistakes that need to be cleaned up.

The unit could also use some more talent. Fortunately, the team has plenty of cap room to make a splash or two and there are several quality defensive backs who are about to become free agents. Our next potential 2020 free agency target for Carolina is Vikings safety Anthony Harris, who is coming off a career year.

Career stats

Harris went undrafted after playing his college football at Virginia. It took him a while to earn his way onto the field, but he’s been extremely impressive since he began starting regularly in 2018. In 65 games, he’s posted nine interceptions, 21 pass breakups, 127 solo tackles, four fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown.

Pros

What the back end of the Panthers’ defense needs more than anything is improvement in coverage across the board. That’s Harris’ specialty. He was one of the best cover safeties in football this year and tied Stephon Gilmore and Tre’Davious White for the league lead with six interceptions. Most of his experience is as a free safety. However, Harris can also play in the box or the slot. That would be helpful if the team decides to keep Tre Boston. Harris is also an excellent tackler (another major area this group needs to improve) and he’s still coming into his prime at 28 years old.

Cons

There’s not much to mention, here. Some critics might point to Harris only having about two seasons’ worth of starts (31 games) under his belt. That’s silly, though. Harris had to crack a tough DB rotation to become a starter and he’s been solid ever since. The real question mark is Harris’ price-tag. Since he went undrafted, he’s made just $5,375,000 in his career. Harris is going to cash in come March and the competition will be fierce.

Probability: Low

Mike Zimmer does not surrender his good DBs easily. Even if Minnesota doesn’t re-sign him, Harris should get attention from any team that needs a quality starting safety and he’s at the top of the market.

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