The Panthers defense wasn’t exactly good last season – they ranked No. 18 in points allowed per game. Even an average scoring defense is far better than the projections going into the 2020 season, though. One reason Carolina’s young D exceeded expectations was a surprisingly strong rookie year from Jeremy Chinn. While he had issues in coverage, Chinn lined up all over the field, made stops consistently and was as valuable as any defender not named Brian Burns.
Heading into year two, the Panthers are planning to change things up a bit regarding how he’s used. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow told the media before today’s OTA practice that they used Chinn from front to back last year and the plan is to flip the script this season.
Snow described Jeremy Chin as moving from “front to back” last year. Says it will be more “back to front” this season.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) June 9, 2021
While it’s not quite a full-time move to safety, we can safely assume Chinn will be playing more snaps on the back end than at linebacker – especially after the team brought in Denzel Perryman and Haason Reddick in free agency.
Carolina’s front-seven looks strong on paper. The x-factor will be how much the secondary improves after the additions of several long, press cornerbacks who will help them play more man. Another critical piece of the puzzle will be finding a suitable replacement for Tre Boston at free safety. Chinn is more of a strong-safety type, but he should at least be in the conversation given the limited options on the roster.
Chinn played safety (among other spots) in college and says he’s comfortable with the move.
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