Report: Greg Van Roten, Tre Boston also expected to test free agent market

They also reported that left guard Greg Van Roten and free safety Tre Boston are expected to do the same.

Last week we learned from ESPN that Panthers defensive end Mario Addison is expected to test free agency, even though the team remains interested in him. On Wednesday, the Athletic confirmed Addison will hit the market. They also reported that left guard Greg Van Roten and free safety Tre Boston are expected to do the same.

Addison has been Carolina’s top pass rusher for a while now, leading them in sacks the last few seasons. Losing him to another team would undoubtedly hurt the pass rush, but at least the Panthers have a potential superstar coming up at the same position in Brian Burns. If Addison does sign elsewhere, Burns moves up and becomes a full-time starter.

The alternatives for Boston and Van Roten are less ideal, though.

Since he left the Panthers after the 2016 season, Boston has been bouncing around the league on a series of one-year deals, first with the Chargers, then the Cardinals, then back to Carolina. While he has played well, a long-term contract has eluded him. Re-signing Boston would be a smart move in our opinion. However, it seems like he’s going to be one of the rebuild/retool casualties.

The problem is there’s absolutely no suitable substitute on the roster who can play his spot. Eric Reid can occasionally fill in at free safety in a pinch, but his coverage is too suspect to do it regularly. Reid is a much more natural fit closer to the box as a strong safety or linebacker.

The backup safeties on the roster don’t exactly inspire much confidence, either. Colin Jones is a career special teamer and the few times he has played safety it hasn’t gone well, while the likes of Natrell Jamerson and Quin Blanding don’t have enough experience.

There are a few quality safeties who are about to become free agents like Boston. The best of them is Anthony Harris of the Vikings, who led the NFL in interceptions last season. However, if the Panthers aren’t interested in paying the 27-year old Boston, they probably won’t be signing another veteran. Most likely, they’ll have to find a new starting free safety in the draft. Antoine Winfield’s kid is our favorite in this class, but there are a few others worth considering.

As for Van Roten, he seems like a much easier piece to replace. While he’s a strong run blocker, he also just turned 30 years old and his pass protection was a serious problem in 2019. On the roster, the most logical successor is Dennis Daley, who played a few games at left guard last year when Van Roten went down with an injury. He’s still got a lot to learn but he did flash a few times.

The situation was complicated by the team’s baffling decision to trade right guard Trai Turner to the Chargers in exchange for left tackle Russell Okung. That move (to be made official next week) leaves Carolina very thin at guard in general. Unless they’re planning to give a guy like Tyler Larsen a much larger role, they’ll have to add at least two more serviceable guards between now and the start of the season.

In free agency, the top options are Joe Thuney and Brandon Scherff. Paying for guards would be an unusual move for a “rebuilding” franchise, though. This is another position they’ll probably address in the draft. The good news there is that it’s a very deep offensive tackle class. Picking one of the blue-chip OT prospects early in the draft and sliding them inside to guard would alleviate a lot of concerns about the offensive line.

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Panthers in tricky situation following Trai Turner trade reports

What they do with Turner will be a sign of where things are going this offseason.

To rebuild or to retool? That is the question for the Carolina Panthers here in early March. The latest news, according to ESPN reporter Jenna Laine, says the Panthers were shopping right guard Trai Turner around during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this past weekend.

Your first instinct will likely tell you that this is a sign of a rebuild. Turner, a five-time Pro Bowler, is a core piece for Carolina, especially at just 26 years of age. If he—the most heralded piece of their offensive line—is up for grabs, then so is practically everyone on the roster.

On the other hand, maybe they’re just gauging the market. Even with those five consecutive Pro Bowl selections, which offensive linemen tend to earn off reputation anyway, Turner has produced some underwhelming results over the last few seasons.

So, is trading Turner at this point a wise move?

Well . . . it’s tricky.

If there’s one concept we can establish it’s that now is the time to try and flip Turner if ever. He is already a six-year veteran that’ll turn 27 in June with two years and a reasonable $20.5 million left on his contract. His trade value will never be higher than it is now.

What that trade value ultimately translates into, though, is difficult to say. That depends on which teams are willing to bite given their respective salary cap situations, draft capital and/or players that may pique the interest of general manager Marty Hurney and new coach Matt Rhule.

With the NFL being as open and creative as ever as far as trades go, the possibilities could be plentiful. So, what could a Turner deal bring in?

While the absolute best-case scenario would send a second-round pick back to Carolina, and that’s being extremely optimistic, let’s just be broad and safe for argument’s sake and assume Turner is swapped for a third-rounder.

The question is this: is a third-round draft pick worth the ensuing dominoes that would fall?

Dealing Turner, who is set to account for a $12.8 million cap hit in 20202, will result in the team eating nearly $9.6 million in dead cap money and it would save just $3.2 million.

What happens to the offensive line?

Most likely, we would see Dennis Daley take up starting right guard duties. Daley, despite displaying some useful versatility as a rookie, struggled through a largely up-and-down campaign in 2019.

Next, and you know this was coming, is the outlook for their starting quarterback this upcoming season, whoever that should be.

Would you be comfortable placing a recovering Cam Newton or a top prospect (perhaps Tua Tagovailoa?) behind Daley and Greg Van Roten at the guards, a left tackle in Greg Little who missed 12 games and a disappointing center in Matt Paradis?

We don’t even have to take into account that the group tied for a league-high 58 sacks allowed in 2019. That total is very much skewed by the learning curve of Kyle Allen, who couldn’t have navigated the pocket if he had a map, a compass and a GPS system.

In any case, unless that offensive line unit improves dramatically via an outside move or on their own merits, giving any quarterback that same front is a step towards chaos, not progress. Taking away Turner would make it even worse.

With all of that in mind, is Turner worth a third-round pick, $3.2 million in cap space and a depleted offensive line?

Although Turner has not been at the top of his game in recent years, he’s still far from a problem. Letting him play out the final two years of his deal and avoiding another addition to what’s already the highest total dead cap amount in football seems to outweigh the unknown of dealing him.

What they do with Turner will be a sign of where things are going this offseason. If they trade him, Carolina fans should prepare for a full-on fire sale and a bumpy, lengthy rebuilding process. If he stays put, their path back to contention won’t be so long or brutal.

Whether they blow it all up or rebuild on the fly, a decision needs to come soon.

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Greg Van Roten named Panthers’ most improved player by Pro Football Focus

However, Pro Football Focus says Van Roten was actually the team’s most improved player in 2019.

Carolina’s offensive line continues to be a thorn in the side of whoever’s starting at quarterback and calling the plays. One of the biggest challenges facing new Panthers coach Matt Rhule’s staff will be getting the unit back on solid footing in 2020.

If there was one true weak link in the fence last season, it was at left guard. Greg Van Roten had issues in pass protection all year, which wound up affecting both center Matt Paradis and the left tackles. However, Pro Football Focus says Van Roten was actually the team’s most improved player in 2019. Here’s what they said.

“He earned the starting left guard job in Carolina for the 2018 season, but he was generally unimpressive, and his 59.4 overall grade ranked 20th among 35 qualifying left guards on the year. Another year as the starter brought slightly better results, though, as Van Roten improved his grade to 65.5 in 2019, which ranked 15th at the position.”

A five-point jump in PFF’s grading system isn’t exactly the kind of thing that is worth getting excited over, though.

If anything, this is an indication of just how few players for Carolina really took a step forward in their development last season. That’s mostly on former head coach Ron Rivera, who has long had a habit of playing veterans at the expense of his rookies and younger contributors. That’s good news for fantasy owners of Adrian Peterson, but not so much for Washington’s long-term outlook.

As for Van Roten, he will become an unrestricted free agent next month. There’s a decent case to bring him back since he’s a good run blocker and at least adds more depth inside. The Panthers should probably try to find an upgrade at the starting left guard spot, though.

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4 left guards the Jets should target in free agency

Jets Wire takes a look at four left guards the Jets should target in free agency this offseason.

When the Jets traded for Kelechi Osemele last offseason, it looked like they were getting their starting left guard for the next two seasons.

Instead, Osemele lasted half a season with New York, suffering a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery and led to his release in late October. That left Alex Lewis and Tom Compton to man the position from November on — a duo that was not exactly up to snuff.

Joe Douglas now has a chance to right the Jets’ wrongs at left guard in free agency. There are plenty of intriguing options available on the open market, including a big fish that has the potential to change New York’s entire look in the trenches.

With that being said, here are four left guards the Jets should target in free agency.

Joe Thuney

Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

New York’s pursuit of a new left guard begins with Thuney. A former third-round pick out of NC State in 2016, he has become one of football’s elite offensive linemen, earning second-team All-Pro honors last season.

Thuney has not only established himself as a reliable run and pass blocker, but as a durable option on the line as well, not missing a single game since getting drafted. Thuney’s 64 career starts have afforded him ample experience early in his career and at only 27-years-old, he still has a lot of room to grow.

Thuney comes with a hefty price tag, but it’s safe to assume Douglas is willing to meet it considering the need to improve in the trenches. Expect New York’s first-year general manager to do whatever it takes to steal him away from New England.

Ron Rivera says Panthers will consider kicker tryouts this week

Panthers kicker Joey Slye had the worst game of his young career on Sunday against the Saints.

Panthers kicker Joey Slye had the worst game of his young career on Sunday against the Saints. He missed two extra point attempts and then a 28-yard field goal at the two-minute warning that might have changed the end result.

Now, coach Ron Rivera says the team will consider bringing in some kickers to tryout this week, per Steve Reed of the Associated Press.

Slye is now 19/26 on the season on his field goal attempts. That’s just 73.1%. He’s also only made just 22 of 26 extra point kicks (84.6%).

Kicker isn’t Carolina’s only problem, though.

Defensive tackle Dontari Poe and left guard Greg Van Roten both suffered what appeared to be serious injuries in Sunday’s game. Van Roten isn’t terribly difficult to replace, but there’s no ready-made second nose tackle on the roster, so there’s a good chance they’ll be hitting up the free agent market in the coming days to address that.

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