Tag: Damien Lewis

Panthers’ Austin Corbett asked about move to center: ‘It was inevitable’

Austin Corbett on moving to center: “Everywhere I’ve been, everybody on the line will tell you I talk too much as a guard.”

Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Austin Corbett may have too big of a personality to play guard, and that shined through on Wednesday.

Following the team’s second outing of voluntary minicamp, the 28-year-old hog molly spoke about his move from right guard to center. Although he played coy at first, Corbett told reporters that the transition won’t be a challenging one.

“I guess we’ll find out, no?” he replied with a laugh when asked to confirm the switch.

“It’s been fun. I’ve been groomed to be a center my entire career. Kinda even starting back in college. Played every game at left tackle, but my head coach, Brian Polian, he’s like, ‘If you’re gonna play in the league, you’re gonna be a good center. You’re too smart not to.’ From that time, I’ve been constantly groomed to be a center.

“I’ve been the emergency center every team I’ve been on. Constantly taking reps. I was the starting center going into the Super Bowl year back in ’21, through training camp and ended up shifting around. The backup center was healthier than they thought, so shifted back out to right guard. So it’s nothing new, by any stretch of the imagination.”

Corbett has never logged a single regular-season snap from the position. His only in-game action at the spot has come in preseason play, when he lined up at center on 203 plays for the Cleveland Browns in 2019.

Carolina’s free-agent additions of guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis sparked the change for Corbett, who manned the right side of the interior in 2022 and 2023. His recent setbacks might’ve factored into the situation as well, as he missed 13 games this past season due to two knee injuries.

But as he gets back to full health, he says there’s another body part that’ll really give him an advantage in the middle.

“Everywhere I’ve been, everybody on the line will tell you I talk too much as a guard,” he added. “So it’s natural just to kick me in there now and have control anyway. It was inevitable at some point in my career. Every offensive line coach told me, ‘You’re gonna play center at one point. This is what you’re made to do.’ And here in 2024, it’s finally happening.”

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Panthers projected offensive depth chart heading into April

How is the Panthers offense looking as we enter April? Here’s our projected depth chart for the unit as it currently stands:

The offensive overhaul for the Carolina Panthers began on January 25, when they officially named Dave Canales as their new head coach. So, what does the unit look like now?

Since then, Canales and president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan have taken their shared vision into free agency. And as a result, they’ve given the offense a bit of a facelift.

So, as we prepare for April and the 2024 NFL draft, here’s our projected depth chart for the group:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
QB Bryce Young Andy Dalton
RB Chuba Hubbard Miles Sanders Raheem Blackshear Mike Boone Spencer Brown Tarik Cohen
WR Diontae Johnson David Moore Jalen Camp
WR Jonathan Mingo Terrace Marshall Jr. Michael Strachan Cam Sims
SWR Adam Thielen Ihmir Smith-Marsette
TE Tommy Tremble Ian Thomas Stephen Sullivan Jordan Matthews Chris Pierce
LT Ikem Ekwonu Yosh Nijman Ricky Lee
LG Damien Lewis Brady Christensen Cade Mays
C Austin Corbett
RG Robert Hunt Chandler Zavala Nash Jensen J.D. DiRenzo
RT Taylor Moton Ilm Manning Badara Traore

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Panthers HC Dave Canales gives rationale behind Austin Corbett’s move to center

Panthers HC Dave Canales believes Austin Corbett is up for the challenge of transitioning to the center position.

Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Austin Corbett has yet to log a single regular-season rep from the center position. But that hasn’t been a deciding factor in his move to the very middle of the trench, at least for Dave Canales.

The first-year head coach chatted with reporters at the Annual League Meeting on Tuesday morning. Canales touched on the pricey free-agent signings additions of guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, stating that he wants to build his team’s identity from the inside out.

Part of that establishing that identity will include a change for Corbett—who has played the vast majority of his NFL snaps from the right guard spot. But according to Canales, it’s Corbett’s identity that should make the transition a smooth one.

“Well, it’s a specific role for a guy who’s a leader,” Canales said, via Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. “You can get away with it when a guy isn’t vocal; you can get away with it when a guy isn’t like the true alpha type of personality. You can get away with that, but you really would love your center to be like the middle linebacker and be the quarterback of the offensive line. And Corbs is that. He’s a man’s man; when he talks, people listen. He’s just natural for this, and for us to have the opportunity to go get the guards that we did to add Austin into that mix as a center to be able to piece it all together, the continuity of the tackles with a couple of new guys, a lot of guys just talking along the line. It’s really a dream scenario. And so I love this challenge.”

Corbett has recorded 3,984 snaps over his six-year career—with 3,442 of them coming at right guard. His only looks at center came during preseason play in 2019, when he lined up on 203 snaps from the middle for the Cleveland Browns.

On top of that challenge, the 28-year-old will be coming back from his second major injury in as many years. After returning from a torn ACL he sustained the 2022 finale, Corbett appeared in just four games this past season before injuring his MCL in the same knee.

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Seahawks 4 biggest positions of need after 2024 free agency

Let’s review Seattle’s four greatest roster needs after the free agency period.

During free agency, the Seahawks were able to keep star defensive end Leonard Williams and tight end Noah Fant and address at least some of their roster holes. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done before this team will be ready to compete. For one thing, their offensive line is currently ranked the worst in the league on paper by Mike Clay at ESPN. Improving that unit is one of several items that will need to be taken care of at some point this offseason.

Let’s review Seattle’s four greatest roster needs after the free agency period.

Panthers G Damien Lewis gives phenomenal description of his playing style

New Panthers G Damien Lewis: “I’m thinking about putting your face in the ground.”

What are the Carolina Panthers getting in guard Damien Lewis? Well, maybe somebody should ask Damien Lewis.

Luckily, a few local reporters just did—as the 26-year-old offensive lineman introduced himself to the media on Monday. Lewis, via a Zoom call, was asked early on about the “stubborn” rushing philosophy of his new head coach Dave Canales.

“I know that you know that I know that all offensive linemen wanna run the ball. We wanna run straight at ya,” replied Lewis, who signed a four-year, $53 million deal with Carolina. “Bringing that mean, nasty, tough mentality towards teams. And I’m excited. I’m ready to get down there and cook it up.”

A few weeks back at the combine, Canales laid out his intent to establish the run. He even claimed he was excited to prove how stubborn he could be in doing so.

And that’s great news for Lewis, who’s proven to be a solid run blocker over his four-year career.

He was then asked what he likes to do when he first steps onto the field.

“You have butterflies on the first one,” Lewis replied. “After that first, you know what time it is. In my head, I’m thinking about I’m finna punish you every play. I’m finna set the tone. I’ma be the tone-setter. I’m thinking about putting your face in the ground.”

Now that’s a hog molly.

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Seahawks GM John Schneider says guards get overdrafted, overpaid

Lewis would have been a nice piece to keep, but it does not seem like Seahawks general manager John Schneider will be losing much sleep over it.

The Seattle Seahawks have seen a wave of free agents leaving their organization. The exodus has now included starting guard Damien Lewis. Ever since arriving in Seattle, Lewis has been a mainstay on the team and in the starting rotation when healthy.

Now he will be taking his talents to Charlotte, where the Panthers gave him a massive four-year, $53 million dollar contract.

Lewis would have been a nice piece to keep, but it does not seem like Seahawks general manager John Schneider will be losing much sleep over it. During his weekly appearance on 710’s Wyman and Bob show, Schneider made this admission for the guard position:

If the argument for Schneider is he thinks they are overpaid, it is hard to argue with his logic – especially when it comes to this contract. Lewis was a fine player, but that is a lot of scratch to put into a guard.

However, Schneider does think they are overdrafted, and it is hard to see eye to eye fully on him there. The Seahawks have consistently struggled on the offensive line for the entirety of Schneider’s tenure in Seattle, especially in the interior.

Although, with only two draft picks in the top 100, Schneider may not have an option to “overdraft” a guard this time.

More Seahawks Wire stories

2024 mock draft: Post-free agency Round 1 projections

Seahawks trade for Commanders QB Sam Howell

Free agency tracker: Who’s signing, who’s leaving Seahawks

Panthers officially announce 5 free-agent signings

The Panthers made their reported free-agent agreements officials ones at the start of the new league year.

Happy New Year, Carolina Panthers fans!

With the start of the new league year came the official announcement of the team’s five newest free-agent signees. So, yes, those terms are no longer reportedly agreed upon—they’re definitely agreed upon.

Set to join the Panthers are guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, linebacker Josey Jewell and cornerback Dane Jackson.

Hunt and Lewis were the first two names to surface for Carolina, who were seeking to fortify their interior offensive trench for quarterback Bryce Young. And they did, with the duo expected to sign multi-year deals (Hunt for five and Lewis for four) at a combined $153 million.

Robinson will help solidify the opposite trench. The 6-foot-4, 330-pounder is expected to ink a three-year, $22.5 million pact.

Jewell could serve as the replacement for the departed do-it-all backer Frankie Luvu. He spent a season under Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who served in the same role for the Denver Broncos in 2022.

Jackson, who has ties to president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan, comes over from the Buffalo Bills.

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Seahawks losing Damien Lewis, Drew Lock, DeeJay Dallas to free agency

Let’s get caught up on some of the latest Seahawks free agent news from around the league.

Today has been much slower compared to yesterday, but let’s get caught up on some of the latest Seahawks free agent news from around the league.

Last night left guard Damien Lewis agreed to a massive four-year deal with the Panthers, worth a reported $53 million total.

A short time ago we also learned that running back DeeJay Dallas is also leaving. According to Jordan Schultz, he has agreed to terms with the Cardinals, but there are no details on how much as of yet.

Finally, just moments ago we received word that Drew Lock will also be leaving Seattle as a free agent. According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, Lock is getting a one-year, $5 million deal from the Giants.

None of these headlines should really come as a surprise, aside from the outlandish size of Damien Lewis’ deal with Carolina.

So far the Seahawks have been characteristically quiet in free agency. They have not signed any outside free agents as of yet and have only reported to be- re-signing tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Leaonrd Williams.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Free agency tracker: Who’s coming, who’s leaving Seahawks

Seahawks trade down 3 times in pre free agency mock draft

Panthers reportedly plan on moving Austin Corbett to center in 2024

With their two big additions on Monday, the Panthers are reportedly planning on moving Austin Corbett to center this upcoming season.

Now that the Carolina Panthers have found the beef, they have to find a place to put it all. But luckily, there already seems to be a plan for that.

On Monday, the team reportedly came to terms with interior offensive linemen Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. Hunt is expected to sign a five-year, $100 million pact while Lewis is set for a four-year, $53 million deal.

So, with major investments in a new left guard and a new right guard, what does this mean for the current incumbents in Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett?

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, the Panthers plan on moving Corbett from right guard to the starting center position and Christensen from left guard to the swing tackle role. That would give the offense the following lineup in the trenches:

LT: Ikem Ekwonu
LG: Damien Lewis
C: Austin Corbett
RG: Robert Hunt
RT: Taylor Moton

The middle just opened up on Sunday with news of the impending release of this past season’s starting center in Bradley Bozeman. Corbett has not logged a single snap from the middle over his six-year NFL career, but is seen as a potential fit for the role in head coach Dave Canales’ offense.

Christensen, on the other hand, does carry some appropriate pro experience into this fresh vision. The former third-round pick, who was a standout on the blindside for Brigham Young University, has recorded 370 snaps at left tackle and 71 at right tackle.

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Panthers reportedly expected to sign G Damien Lewis

The Panthers are adding more beef to their interior offensive line.

The Carolina Panthers are continuing to build from the inside out.

As first reported by Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz on Monday night, guard Damien Lewis is planning to sign with the Panthers. The deal, per Schultz, is worth $53 million over four years.

A national champion on the 2019 Louisiana State University squad, Lewis was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Lewis has started in each of the 61 games he’s played since, with the majority of his snaps coming from the left guard position.

The 6-foot-3, 332-pounder crossed paths with new Panthers head coach Dave Canales during his time in Seattle, when Canales served as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Lewis, who turns 27 years old on March 21, is now the second interior offensive lineman Carolina has reportedly come to terms with today. He joins right guard Robert Hunt, who is expected to ink a five-year, $100 million pact.

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