Tag: Frankie Luvu

Report: Free-agent pass rusher Chase Young expected to meet with Panthers

Per NFL Network, the Panthers are expected to meet with former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young.

The Carolina Panthers are chasing after some much-needed defensive help.

As first reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on Tuesday afternoon, free-agent pass rusher Chase Young is expected to meet with the Panthers this week. Young, per Pelissero, is also set to visit with the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints.

Young was selected with the second overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft by the Washington Commanders. The Ohio State University standout proceeded to immediately stand out in the pros, as a 7.5-sack campaign helped earn him AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Injuries woes, however, would derail his next two seasons. Young played in 12 of a possible 34 games between 2021 and 2022, where he totaled just 1.5 sacks.

He would eventually be traded to the San Francisco 49ers at the 2023 trade deadline. Young ended the season with 7.5 sacks.

Carolina, who finished last in quarterback takedowns this past season, should certainly be in the market for edge help—especially after yesterday’s trade of two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns. The roster also lost fellow linebacker Frankie Luvu, who recorded the second-most sacks (5.5) on the team in 2023.

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Panthers CB Jaycee Horn after eventful start to free agency: ‘Ima miss my dawgs’

Panthers CB Jaycee Horn is feeling the effects of a painful start to free agency.

Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan may on the hunt for some dawgs right now, but he’s still lost a few in the process.

On Monday, the home locker room over at Bank of America Stadium picked up a few very painful vacancies. After we learned that the Panthers were planning to part ways with safety Vonn Bell, they fell short in trying to retain linebacker Frankie Luvu and then traded two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants.

The losses hit quite hard for many involved with the organization, including starting cornerback Jaycee Horn . . .

Horn wasn’t the only player to feel the effects of the eventful day. Longtime Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson posted, in a since deleted tweet, a similar sentiment—stating that it was a “sad day.”

Along with Bell, Luvu and Burns, the Panthers defense is also expected to be without corner Donte Jackson in 2024. All four were starters for the unit this past season.

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A successful opening day of free agency for the Commanders

The Commanders made good, smart moves on Monday with an eye on the short-term and long-term future.

There was some anticipation on how new general manager Adam Peters would approach his first free-agency period in charge of the Washington Commanders.

No team had more cap space in the NFL than Washington, and Peters cautioned weeks ago not to expect splashy moves. Some took that as Peters saying the Commanders would not be active.

That couldn’t have been further from the truth, as Washington agreed to terms with six new players on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period.

Here are the moves:

  • DE Dorance Armstrong: 3-year deal
  • C Tyler Biadasz: 3-year deal
  • LB Frankie Luvu: 3-year deal
  • RB Austin Ekeler: 2-year deal
  • K Brandon McManus: 1-year deal
  • G Nick Allegretti: 3-year deal

Of those names, Ekeler’s probably stands out above the rest. However, all six of Washington’s expected new signings (players can’t officially sign with their new team until Wednesday) will either start or play a significant role in 2024.

Gone are the days of Washington winning the offseason. That title belongs to the Eagles these days. The Commanders entered this version of free agency with a lot of cash and a lot of needs. So, instead of sinking significant money into one player, Peters used that cash to find starters at several positions, improving Washington’s overall talent level without sacrificing the team’s future.

Brilliant.

Of these six new signees, only McManus — a kicker — is over 30. All are on manageable contracts with no commitments beyond the 2026 season. If any of these players thrive, the Commanders can sign them to an extension.

Peters’ strategy was precisely what Washington needed to do. The roster’s lack of overall talent meant the Commanders needed to make moves. As we expected, the new additions involved some familiarity.

Armstrong and Biadasz followed head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. to Washington. Ekeler was with running backs coach Anthony Lynn for four seasons with the Chargers.

The Commanders were clearly focused on improving the pass rush. Adding Armstrong does that and Washington isn’t done there. Also, this regime wouldn’t ignore the offensive line, especially with a rookie quarterback expected to arrive next month. Biadasz gives the Commanders a good, young, reliable center to work with a young quarterback.

Luvu answers a significant need at linebacker, which should benefit Jamin Davis. Luvu does everything well and is the type of linebacker the Commanders have lacked for years.

Ekeler is a perfect complement to Brian Robinson Jr. and can be a safety valve for a rookie quarterback with his pass-blocking and receiving skills out of the backfield.

We’ll break down each of Washington’s signings once they become official, but overall, it’s an excellent beginning for Peters.

 

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson: ‘It’s a sad day’

Shaq Thompson summed up a pretty rough day for Panthers fans.

Shaq Thompson was all of us on Monday.

The opening of this year’s legal tampering period brought some punishing blows for the Carolina Panthers and their fans. We started the eventful and exhausting afternoon by taking the expected release of safety Vonn Bell on the chin and went on to eat two gut punches with the loss of linebacker Frankie Luvu and the trade of pass rusher Brian Burns.

With the defense losing three key members, one of its leaders tweeted this in the painful aftermath:

 

Thompson then went on to see another fellow backer in Yetur Gross-Matos find a new home, as he reportedly has a two-year, $18 million deal in place with the San Francisco 49ers. The dearly departed will also include tight end Hayden Hurst, center Bradley Bozeman and cornerback Donte Jackson—all of whom are expected to be let go before March 16.

Sadly enough, the second-longest tenured Panther may be next. Thompson, who turns 30 years old in April, is entering the final season of a reworked pact.

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49ers expected to sign former Panthers OLB Yetur Gross-Matos

The Panthers have lost another linebacker.

The Carolina Panthers are losing yet another linebacker.

As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the San Francisco 49ers have come to terms with free-agent Yetur Gross-Matos. The pact, per Rapoport, is a two-year agreement worth $18 million.

Gross-Matos is now the fourth defender the Panthers lost on Monday—joining safety Vonn Bell, linebacker Frankie Luvu and two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns. Bell is expected to be released, Luvu reportedly has a deal with the Washington Commanders and Burns was traded to the New York Giants in exchange for draft picks.

Carolina selected Gross-Matos in the second round of the 2020 draft. He ended up appearing in 55 games for the Panthers over his four-year career—recording 142 combined tackles, 13.0 sacks and four fumble recoveries.

With a new defensive coordinator in Ejiro Evero at the helm this past season, Gross-Matos made the transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a standup 3-4 outside linebacker. The change resulted in the best campaign of his NFL run, as he posted a career-best 4.5 sacks.

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Commanders agree to terms with Chargers RB Austin Ekeler

The Commanders are expected to sign one of the NFL’s top backs in recent years to pair with Brian Robinson Jr.

The Washington Commanders are staying busy. Shortly after agreeing to terms with Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu on the first day of the legal tampering period Monday, Washington also agreed to terms with longtime Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler.

Ekeler, who will turn 29 in May, agreed to a two-year deal with Washington, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

An undrafted free agent from Western Colorado in 2017, Ekeler has been one of the NFL’s best running backs for the past few seasons. The 2023 season was a down one season for Ekeler, after rushing for over 900 yards and 13 touchdowns with 107 receptions and five receiving touchdowns in 2022.

Considered one of the NFL’s premier pass-catching backs, Ekeler replaces Antonio Gibson, who left Washington for New England.

For his NFL career, Ekeler has 4,355 rushing yards, 39 rushing touchdowns and an average of 4.4 yards per attempt. He also has 440 career receptions for 3,884 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Ekeler played the first four seasons of his career under new Commanders running backs coach Anthony Lynn, who was his head coach with the Chargers.

Commanders expected to sign Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu

Dan Quinn found the perfect linebacker for his defense in Frankie Luvu.

The Washington Commanders continue to make upgrades to their roster on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period.

The Commanders agreed to terms with two former Cowboys, defensive end Dorance Armstrong and center Tyler Biadasz, early on Monday. Now, new head coach Dan Quinn has found his linebacker.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Commanders have agreed to terms with Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu on a three-year deal worth up to $36 million.

Luvu, 27, was undrafted out of Washington State in 2018. He spent the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Jets. He signed with the Panthers in 2021, where his career took off.

Initially signed as a backup linebacker and key special-teamer, Luvu played 16 games in 2021, making four starts and finishing with 43 tackles.

He became a full-time starter in 2022 and recorded 111 tackles, including 19 for loss, seven sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception.

In 2023, Luvu started all 17 games and recorded 125 tackles, including 10 for loss, 5.5 sacks, five passes defended and two forced fumbles.

 

Commanders bag two underrated defensive stars in Frankie Luvu, Dorance Armstrong

The Commanders added two underrated stars to their defense in linebacker Frankie Luvu and edge-rusher Dorance Armstrong.

The Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn as their new head coach in part because they saw the need to re-define a defense that struggled (to put it kindly) last season under defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and head coach Ron Rivera last season.

The Commanders worked to give Quinn two outstanding and underrated defenders in the first wave of free agency, agreeing to terms with former Carolina Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu and ex-Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher Dorance Armstrong.

Luvu was one of my favorite player in this free agent class because the more you watch his tape, the more you’re stumped on the things he can’t do as a linebacker. Last season, he played 56% of his snaps at inside ‘backer, 23% outside, and the rest at the line of scrimmage as either a stand-up rusher or as a blitzer. Luvu had seven sacks, 20 total pressures, 84 solo tackles, 47 stops, 10 tackles for loss, and he was great in coverage when asked to do that. If you need a green dot guy in the middle of your defense, there’s nobody better (or more versatile) in this free agency class. He’ll be an ideal fit for what Quinn wants to do with his defense.

 

Of course, Quinn already knows that Armstrong is a great fit for what he wants to do. The Cowboys selected Armstrong in the fourth round of the 2018 draft out of Kansas, and he became a force under Quinn, who was Dallas’ defensive coordinator over the last three seasons. Micah Parsons was the talk of the Cowboys’ pass rush, and justifiably so, but Armstrong racked up nine sacks and 35 total pressures last season — one year after amassing nine sacks and 43 total pressures in 2022. No one-year wonder, he.

The Commanders have a lot of work still to do on that side of the ball, especially in a secondary that might lose cornerback Kendall Fuller and Kameron Curl in free agency. But the first wave of Quinn Guys has what it takes.

Commanders reportedly signing former Panthers LB Frankie Luvu

Frankie Luvu is headed for the nation’s capital.

While speculation on one Carolina Panthers linebacker heated up on Monday, another was swiped away by an NFC East squad.

According to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Washington Commanders are expected to sign Frankie Luvu. The deal will be a three-year pact worth a maximum of $36 million.

Luvu joined the Panthers in the spring of 2021. He appeared in 16 games that year—totaling 43 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries.

The versatile backer saw an increased role beginning in 2022 after inking a two-year extension the next offseason. That campaign saw Luvu rack up 111 tackles and a career-high 7.0 sacks over 14 starts.

Despite dealing with injuries for a chunk of 2023, Luvu started in all 17 games for the Panthers this past season. He notched bests in tackles (125) and passes defensed (five).

President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan told reporters at this year’s scouting combine that the team was hoping to keep Luvu around.

“We have all intentions on re-signing Frankie,” Morgan said in Indianapolis. “We love Frankie. He embodies what a Panther is. He’s tough, he’s got that dawg mentality we talk about. Nothing’s guaranteed in this league, but we are gonna try to extend him.”

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

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Frankie Luvu named one of free agency’s most underrated defenders

Frankie Luvu headlines Touchdown Wire’s list of 2024’s most underrated free-agent defenders.

DJ Chark has some familiar company.

In addition to having one of Touchdown Wire’s most underrated free agents on offense in Chark, the Carolina Panthers also have an overlooked defender who’s about to hit the open market. And that defender is linebacker Frankie Luvu, who makes editor Doug Farrar’s list of this spring’s most underrated defensive free agents.

Farrar writes:

Luvu might be my favorite player on this list, because the more you watch his tape, the more you’re stumped on the things he can’t do as a linebacker. Last season, he played 56% of his snaps at inside ‘backer, 23% outside, and the rest at the line of scrimmage as either a stand-up rusher or as a blitzer. Luvu had seven sacks, 20 total pressures, 84 solo tackles, 47 stops, 10 tackles for loss, and he was great in coverage when asked to do that. If you need a green dot guy in the middle of your defense, there’s nobody better (or more versatile) in this free agency class.

2023 marked the second and final season of the two-year extension Luvu signed in 2022. But new president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan hopes that won’t be the final season of the backer’s Carolina tenure, as he indicated his interest in re-signing Luvu at last week’s scouting combine.

But can Morgan and the Panthers keep the versatile Luvu from spreading his wings even further in a few days?

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