The Carolina Panthers may not be in the Super Bowl this year, but a few former players are taking the field today.
Here are a few names that might sound familiar in tonight’s game.
Chiefs LT Mike Remmers
Remmers is a name many Carolina fans are familiar with for bad reasons. Remmers played 100% of the team’s offensive snaps in their incredible 15-1 regular season that led to the Super Bowl run, but his year ended on a sour note. In Super Bowl 50, the Broncos chose to exploit a favorable Von Miller matchup against Remmers, which quickly turned into a disaster. Remmers gave up three sacks, two strip-sack fumbles and seven additional quarterback pressures on Cam Newton. He has turned things around, though. Remmers had had the best season of his career with the Chiefs, allowing zero sacks in 2020.
Chiefs K Harrison Butker
In 2017, the Panthers selected Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker with their seventh-round pick, bringing in training camp competition for then-starter Graham Gano. They both performed well in camp and Carolina decided to keep both on their 53-man roster before eventually parting ways with Butker in hopes of stashing him on their practice squad. However, Butker was signed by the Chiefs later that season and quickly became one of the league’s top kickers. Butker has never fallen below 88% on field goals in his career, turning in a career-high 92.6% this season.
Chiefs CB Bashaud Breeland
Breeland came very close to joining Carolina back in 2018. That season, Breeland had agreed to join the Panthers on a three-year deal worth $24 million, but a foot infection prevented him from passing his physical, and the deal never went through. Breeland eventually signed with Kansas City, where he’s become an important starter for a loaded secondary.
Bucs CB Ross Cockrell
Cockrell won’t start for Tampa, but he was once a starting cornerback for the Panthers. In 2018, the Panthers signed the former Giants DB to a two-year, $6.8 million contract just days after their deal with Breeland fell through. Cockrell performed well in his two seasons with the Panthers and ranked among the top-five defensive backs in the league in yards per target allowed. He eventually landed on the Bucs’ practice squad and is now a backup behind their starting corners.
Bucs RB/KR Kenjon Barner
Barner contributed as a kick returner for Carolina during his two brief stints with the team in 2013 and again in 2018. The first was especially brief, as the rookie running back returned two kicks and totaled six carries on the season. In 2018 Barner brought back nine kicks for 220 yards. He is currently on the Bucs’ injured reserve list, but head coach Bruce Arians said the team will make a “late call” on his availability for the Super Bowl.
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