Tag: Jeremy Chinn

As we still await for the official word from the Carolina Panthers, the uncertainty around linebacker Shaq Thompson’s injury continues to loom. But what we do know, or at least feel, is that his roaring start to the 2021 season will come to a temporary halt.

Joseph Person of The Athletic reported on Monday that the team expects to be without their longest-tenured defender and leading tackler for “some time.” And while it’ll likely only be on a week-by-week basis, Thompson’s presumed absence adds to an already bleak list of sidelined Panthers.

So, how do general manager Scott Fitterer, head coach Matt Rhule and the rest of the staff plan on going forward? Even if it’s for a game or two, there’s a spot in the middle of that defense that needs to be tended to—by creativity or resourcefulness.

The latter of those two options could see the front office tapping a little bit into that $21 million worth of cap space for the freshly-released Jaylon Smith. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, in a report which was later confirmed by multiple outlets, the Dallas Cowboys will be parting ways with the 26-year-old on Wednesday.

Smith’s sudden release has come as a result of his declining play and, of course, the money that accompanied his presence. The Cowboys, who have decided their defense is better off without the former second-round pick, took care of their chicken by sparring themselves of his guaranteed $9.2 million base salary in 2022.

Would the Panthers, however, want a player with such a noted injury history at a position that requires top-end athleticism? That was a trait that Smith once had, but is now instead having trouble compensating for through the rest of his performance.

K.D. Drummond of Cowboys Wire describes Smith’s situation as a deteriorating one, as he’s seen his share of snaps decrease from 97.8 percent in 2020 to 61.9 percent through four games this year.

“Smith’s ability to turn and run with opposing players has digressed each season, and he’s often taken himself out of plays by shooting the wrong gaps and making incorrect reads on run plays,” Drummond writes. “Yes, his tackle stats have been high, but all tackles aren’t created equal. They all bring a play to a halt, but tackles two yards past the line of scrimmage and eight yards past the line of scrimmage all end up in the same stat bucket, but with drastically different impacts.”

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In the grand scheme of the rest of the 2021 campaign, the Panthers wouldn’t necessarily be asking Smith to magically regain his prime form. That won’t happen, either way, as he wouldn’t be a long-term replacement for Thompson.

He could, however, help provide a brief bandaid to the weakside wound and slip back as a depth piece upon Thompson’s return. His decreased role has come with some positive results, as Smith has not been credited with a missed tackle all season and has also earned himself high grades in tackling (84.3) and in coverage (82.2) from Pro Football Focus.

If Carolina is willing to take on a risk, both on the field and a little from inside their pockets, Smith could be there waiting for the call.

If not, perhaps they reach back for that creativity in the form of their human Swiss Army knife. Will they, though, concede on their plans of keeping Jeremy Chinn as a safety and use him more as a linebacker for the time being?

Well, with defensive coordinator Phil Snow, that’s not at all out of the question. In fact, they’ve already sort of reneged on that plan for Chinn.

Despite their early intentions of unleashing and developing him as a free safety, he’s played the vast majority of his snaps (112) out of the box thus far. Hell, Sean Chandler is even out-snapping Chinn at free safety over these first four games, 82 to 54.

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While that could be an indicator of multiple factors, as the team has scrambled to man the slot, it undoubtedly shows the flexibility Snow and the Panthers are willing to stretch throughout their unit. So if he’s already playing around the middle, why not just station him as a backer for the next few outings?

To be frank, they may not have the remaining personnel for it. With fellow starting safety Juston Burris and cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Myles Hartsfield currently out, moving Chinn away from the secondary would further deplete that area of the field.

Would you be comfortable giving the vast chunk of burn at those free and strong safety spots to Chandler and Sam Franklin? Although they are two solid talents that’ve earned the trust of the coaching staff, are they proven enough as a tandem to hold it down?

For now, all of these questions may have a more tame answer. Maybe we’re just looking at a timeshare for the “some time” Thompson will be missing.

Maybe Chinn does get some looks as a linebacker. But just some.

Maybe recent call-up Kamal Martin carries over his starting experience from Green Bay to help fill the void. Maybe we even see Frankie Luvu a bit more, even if he’s normally used an outside pass rusher rather than a playmaking weakside guy.

Whatever path the Panthers choose, another change in direction won’t, unfortunately, be a new move for them here in 2021. The standard is the standard and the next man will be up.

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