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Watch wide receiver D.J. Moore and cornerback Donte Jackson arrive for practice with two very different energies.
The Panthers moved back today’s training camp session an hour after a late Friday and having yesterday off.
Watch wide receiver D.J. Moore and cornerback Donte Jackson arrive for practice with two very different energies.
Two types of people đ pic.twitter.com/SxX62r70mn
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 8, 2021
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It’s still early in his reign, but it seems Fitterer is showing more urgency when it comes to contracts than the last two guys who held his job.
The Panthers got a big deal done with right tackle Taylor Moton at the 11th hour, reaching an agreement on a four-year, $72 million contract with eight minutes to go before the franchise tag deadline.
General manager Scott Fitterer deserves credit for extending Moton, which was the most critical internal move for his team this offseason. It’s still early in his reign, but it seems Fitterer is showing more urgency when it comes to contracts than the last two guys who held his job. Fitterer says the Panthers are talking to two or three more players about contracts, per Joe Person at the Athletic.
“I know we have two or three players that weâre talking to. . . Thatâs gonna lead to us where weâre at (cap-wise).”
Now that Moton is taken care of, the two most likely candidates for contract extensions are wide receiver Robby Anderson and cornerback Donte Jackson. Both are in the last year of their current deals and performed well enough last season to be worth keeping around.
Anderson is coming off a career-high 1,096 yard season. His cap number this year is $12 million. Meanwhile, Jackson is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which will cost the team $2,828,005. Both should have at least several more solid seasons left in them. Anderson just turned 28 years old and Jackson is 25.
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Jeremy Chinn’s development in coverage will be a critical factor to watch as the schedule unfolds, as will A.J. Bouye’s performance playing in the slot as opposed to outside.
We’re expecting a better-than-average defense for the Carolina Panthers this season. Their defensive line should be able to generate pressure consistently, and they have a much better-looking depth chart at middle linebacker now compared to 2020. The x-factor will be how well their new-look secondary performs.
Carolina invested a lot of resources at cornerback this offseason. In theory that should help, but there are still questions about this unit. Pro Football Focus has their secondary ranked No. 23 in the NFL going into 2021.
“The Panthers have selected Jeremy Chinn, Troy Pride Jr. and Jaycee Horn in the past two drafts to join Donte Jackson in the secondary, showing that the team values speed and athleticism. . . Improvement from Chinn in his second season, along with immediate contributions from newcomers Horn and A.J. Bouye, could lead to an improved secondary for the Panthers in 2021.”
Jeremy Chinn’s development in coverage will be a critical factor to watch as the schedule unfolds, as will A.J. Bouye’s performance playing in the slot as opposed to outside. Assuming that Jaycee Horn lives up to the hype and Donte Jackson continues trending up, the only real worrisome spot might be at free safety.
Cutting Tre Boston for minimal cap savings was one of this team’s most questionable moves. They didn’t draft any safeties to replace him and the only notable free agent pickup was Lano Hill, who has just six career starts under his belt.
If this hole at free safety isn’t effectively filled by Juston Burris or somebody else on the roster, it could become the weakest link in the chain on the back end. Finding a workable solution at this spot should be at the top of the team’s to-do list on defense as training camp approaches.
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The Panthers have a pair of risers in Donte Jackson and Jeremy Chinn.
As much as Carolina Panthers fans would probably love to see it, no, Jaycee Horn will not be featured on this list. Not yet, anyway.
Perhaps they’ll love to see a few of their other young and talented defensive backs, ones that are a little more proven. So, who are they and where they do rank amongst their peers in the NFC South?
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, coach Matt Rhule said Jackson is growing a lot as a player and even used the E word.
Carolina went into this offseason with at least one clear priority defensively: improve a cornerback room that had become a liability. After signing two veterans in free agency and adding two rookies in the draft, it’s fair to say they committed to an overhaul and at least on paper they look much deeper than at this time last year.
The key piece for turning this group around might not be one of the new faces, though. For the Panthers secondary to reach their full potential, they’ll need fourth-year cornerback Donte Jackson to step up and achieve his. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, coach Matt Rhule said Jackson is growing a lot as a player and even used the E word.
“The young guys are learning as they go and Donte [Jackson] is growing a lot as a player. I’ve liked a lot of things that Donte has done. . . Jaycee is going to be a really good player. He’s going to be a valuable part of our team. A lot of guys are really talented and can do a lot of things. A.J. has been to a Pro Bowl, Donte is an elite player we think we just have to keep him healthy and keep him moving in the right direction.”
Jackson performed admirably in 2020. Despite having to play through foot injuries for much of the season, Jackson only allowed 443 yards in coverage and a 79.2 passer rating. He also posted a career-high 15.3% forced incompletion rate.
Donte Jackson's forced incompletion % by season đ
đš2018 | 5.5%
đš2019 | 8.3%
đš2020 | 15.3%#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/3Frb7PsVG4— PFF CAR Panthers (@PFF_Panthers) June 16, 2021
Tackling has been a major issue for Jackson since he came into the league, though. In 43 games he’s missed 38 attempts – including 11 last year. At some point, he’ll have to improve that part of his game.
If Jackson cleans up his tackling and continues to improve in coverage, a Pro Bowl appearance or two is possible.
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Here are four questions we have about the defense going into 2021.
The Carolina Panthers begin their mandatory minicamp today, the final portion of their offseason schedule before the summer break. On paper, they look better than last season. However, this team is still a work in progress.
Here are four questions we have about the defense going into 2021.
Bouye has 100+ games of experience in the NFL, most of which has been at outside corner.
A.J. Bouye will be wearing 24 for the Panthers, taking over a storied jersey number previously donned by Rasul Douglas, James Bradberry and Josh Norman. Bouye could wind up playing a different position, though. According to Joe Person at the Athletic, defensive coordinator Phil Snow told Bouye he’s needed at nickel back.
Bouye has 100+ games of experience in the NFL, most of which has been at outside corner. However, he has previously played nickel in college. Bouye’s shared some thoughts on the transition, per Person.
“When youâre on the inside, you know where your help is at. You can play certain routes easier, especially when you know concepts and know the game. . . Thatâs why itâs been kind of good for me, just learning that kind of early and getting a good feel for it.”
With Bouye projected to take over in the slot, we can go ahead and write in Donte Jackson and first-round pick Jaycee Horn as Carolina’s two starting outside cornerbacks.
What the pecking order aside from Bouye, Jackson and Horn will be remains to be seen. Carolina added another veteran in free agency with Rashaan Melvin plus another rookie with Keith Taylor, so there are a lot of new moving parts.
Whatever the arrangement is, Panthers fans should expect to see more man defense after being one of the most zone-heavy teams in the league last season. Their front-seven looks great, so if this 2021 corner class steps up to that challenge Carolina might just have a better-than-average defense.
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Panthers CB Donte Jackson on secondary: “We can be dominant”
Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson has never minced words over the three years we’ve come to know him. So the ones he put out there on Wednesday shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“We can be dominant. We can be dominant, man,” Jackson confidently said when asked about the team’s additions at the corner position. “We have a group that not only are we fighting hard to learn the scheme and have the scheme down pat, we’re also fighting hard to be consistent and fighting hard to work hard on our detail and our craft. That’s the one thing we’ve been holding the group accountable for. Make sure we get our technique, make sure we get our detail work in.”
Jackson also alluded to the growth of the defense as a whole, stating the talent at linebacker and along the defensive line will only make the secondary’s job that much easier. The front office has inked proven veteran names such as Haason Reddick, Denzel Perryman, DaQuan Jones and Morgan Fox this offseason to juice up the group.
“For the team, especially with the front seven like we have, I think that this corner and this secondary group can be really, really special, man. I think we have all the pieces. We have the IQs in the backend, we have the physicality, we have the speed. It’s just gonna be all about detailing and coming in and just trying to be consistent and working.”
This might’ve been a stretch for anyone in the organization, let alone Jackson, to say about this unit last season. A year ago today, the Panthers secondary was almost exclusively filled up by rookies and practice squad-caliber players.
With an extra 12 months of improvement for their younger guys has, again, come some considerable reinforcements. Bringing on rookies Jaycee Horn and Keith Taylor as well as free agents A.J. Bouye and Rashaan Melvin has helped give Carolina a nice facelift as they continue their rebuilding process.
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Panthers CB Donte Jackson on secondary: “We can be dominant”
Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson has never minced words over the three years we’ve come to know him. So the ones he put out there on Wednesday shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“We can be dominant. We can be dominant, man,” Jackson confidently said when asked about the team’s additions at the corner position. “We have a group that not only are we fighting hard to learn the scheme and have the scheme down pat, we’re also fighting hard to be consistent and fighting hard to work hard on our detail and our craft. That’s the one thing we’ve been holding the group accountable for. Make sure we get our technique, make sure we get our detail work in.”
Jackson also alluded to the growth of the defense as a whole, stating the talent at linebacker and along the defensive line will only make the secondary’s job that much easier. The front office has inked proven veteran names such as Haason Reddick, Denzel Perryman, DaQuan Jones and Morgan Fox this offseason to juice up the group.
“For the team, especially with the front seven like we have, I think that this corner and this secondary group can be really, really special, man. I think we have all the pieces. We have the IQs in the backend, we have the physicality, we have the speed. It’s just gonna be all about detailing and coming in and just trying to be consistent and working.”
This might’ve been a stretch for anyone in the organization, let alone Jackson, to say about this unit last season. A year ago today, the Panthers secondary was almost exclusively filled up by rookies and practice squad-caliber players.
With an extra 12 months of improvement for their younger guys has, again, come some considerable reinforcements. Bringing on rookies Jaycee Horn and Keith Taylor as well as free agents A.J. Bouye and Rashaan Melvin has helped give Carolina a nice facelift as they continue their rebuilding process.
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The top pending free agent at the position this year is Richard Sherman, who has a connection with the Panthers’ new general manager.
The Panthers let their best cornerback walk in free agency last year. James Bradberry went on to have a fantastic season with the Giants, while Carolina was left searching for answers at a critical position once again. Donte Jackson had a strong year despite foot injuries, but there’s not another outside corner on the roster who’s a true starter at the moment.
Finding a veteran cornerback who can defend the other side of the field and help coach up Carolina’s other young DBs is an idea worth considering. The top pending free agent at the position this year is Richard Sherman, who has a connection with the Panthers’ new general manager.
Like linebacker K.J. Wright, Sherman (a fifth-round pick) came into the NFL in the 2011 draft class, Scott Fitterer’s first as Seattle’s Director of College Scouting. Aside from Russell Wilson, no other player offered more value over the last decade for the Seahawks. For most of his career Sherman has been one of the game’s top cover defenders and for a few years he was indisputably the best cornerback on the planet. The three-time All-Pro has totaled 36 interceptions and 115 pass breakups in 139 games.
Even though he’s past his prime, Sherman is still an extremely intelligent DB. His influence and experience helped dramatically improve a 49ers secondary that was pitiful only a few years ago. Sherman might be able to help engineer a similar turnaround for the Panthers.
At 32 years old, Sherman might finally be starting to decline. In 2020 he allowed a 116.2 passer rating and four touchdowns in coverage after only giving up two the previous two years – and that was in just five games. Sherman also won’t come cheap. Spotrac is projecting his market value at $10.4 million a season.
The Panthers can probably afford that, but it wouldn’t leave much for the likes of right tackle Taylor Moton and WR/RB Curtis Samuel, whose extensions should take priority over signing any new players.
Sherman might only have 2-3 quality seasons left, so he’s not a long-term solution to the team’s outside CB problem. That said, he’s far better than the ones the Panthers tried to start opposite Jackson last year. If team owner David Tepper is trying to make a real splash in 2021, then signing a corner of Sherman’s caliber would be a significant step in the right direction.
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