Tag: Sam Franklin

Panthers officially sign S Sam Franklin to 1-year deal

The Panthers have officially signed S Sam Franklin to a one-year deal.

The return of Sam Franklin is officially official.

As first reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston on Tuesday morning, the Carolina Panthers have signed Franklin to a one-year deal. The 27-year-old safety hit, who the “open” market as a restricted free agent this offseason, was tendered by the team back on March 13.

Franklin entered the organization as an undrafted free agent in May of 2020. He had spent the previous four years of his football career at Temple University, where he crossed paths with future head coach Matt Rhule in 2016.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defensive back and special teams cog has played in 47 games for the Panthers between 2020 and 2022. He has recorded 67 combined tackles (three for a loss), a sack, a forced fumble, two passes defensed and two quarterback hits.

With this new deal now in place—which differs from the low-level one-year, $2.67 million pact set up by the tendered offer—Franklin is set to join his teammates when they hit the field for minicamp today.

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Panthers tender offer to S Sam Franklin

The Panthers have placed a restricted free agent tender on S Sam Franklin.

The Carolina Panthers took the next step in holding on to one of their own on Monday.

As announced by the team, safety Sam Franklin has been designated with a restricted free agent tender—keeping the special teams standout in Carolina.

The move presents with Franklin a one-year, $2.6 million pact. If another team inks the 27-year-old to an offer sheet, the Panthers will have the chance to match and retain him.

Franklin first joined the organization as an undrafted free agent back in May of 2020. He had spent the previous four years at Temple University, where he crossed paths with future (and former) head coach Matt Rhule in 2016.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defender has appeared in 47 games for the Panthers since—mostly on special teams. He’s amassed 67 combined tackles (three for a loss), one sack and one interception.

Carolina now has two remaining restricted free agents in quarterback PJ Walker and safety Myles Hartsfield.

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Carolina Panthers vs. Dallas Cowboys game recap: Everything we know

You may not want to know, but you have to. So take a look at today’s recap for the Panthers’ first regular-season loss of 2021.

The 3-0 Carolina Panthers came into AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas with a prime opportunity to put the league on notice. Unfortunately for them, they left with a rude eviction notice from the host Dallas Cowboys.

Here’s what you need to know about the Panthers’ first defeat of the 2021 campaign.

Carolina Panthers 53-man roster projection: Final cuts edition

Who’s staying in and who’s going out? Here are our projections for the Panthers’ initial 53-man roster.

Bloody Tuesday is upon us and the Carolina Panthers have some cleaning up to do. So who stays and who goes as they cut down their personnel before that 4 p.m. ET deadline in a few days?

Here are our projections for the team’s initial 53-man roster for the 2021 regular season.

4 takeaways from the Panthers’ 21-18 preseason loss to Colts

If you were looking for some excitement from the Carolina Panthers rookies, then you couldn’t have been disappointed this afternoon.

The Carolina Panthers (well, some of them, anyway) finally cracked an actual field of play here in 2021. And even in an exhibition matchup with every one of their projected starters not even dressing, there were a handful of developments to shed a light on.

Here are four takeaways from the Panthers’ 21-18 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Panthers Week 11 injury designations: Christian McCaffrey OUT, Teddy Bridgewater Questionable

The Detroit Lions (4-5) Week 11 opponent, the Carolina Panthers (3-7), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game.

The Detroit Lions (4-5) Week 11 opponent, the Carolina Panthers (3-7), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game. The Panthers will be without All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, while seven other starters are listed Doubtful/Questionable, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Here’s a look at the Panther’s full injury designations list.

Injury status

Player Position Injury Designation
Teddy Bridgewater QB (starter) MCL Questionable
Christian McCaffrey RB (starter) Shoulder OUT
Mike Davis RB Thumb No Designation
Russell Okung LT (starter) Calf Doubtful
John Miller RG (starter) Knee/Ankle Doubtful
Chris Manhertz TE Shoulder Questionable
Yetur Gross-Matos DE (starter) Shoulder Questionable
Marquis Haynes DE Shoulder Questionable
Tahir Whitehead LB (starter) Rib Questionable
Donte Jackson CB (starter) Toe Doubtful
Rasul Douglas CB (starter) Ankle Questionable
Sam Franklin S Ankle Questionable

McCaffrey being out is obviously a huge loss and something most have been anticipating all week. He will be replaced in the starting lineup by Mike Davis, who was dealing with a thumb injury at the beginning of the week but does not carry an injury designation into this game.

Bridgewater is the biggest question mark surrounding this team. He did next to nothing on Wednesday and Thursday, but got in some work on Friday, leading to coach Matt Rhule calling him a game-time decision. Our brother site Panthers Wire is less optimistic, saying that their “best guess is that Bridgewater’s limited participation this week is a smokescreen and we will be seeing either P.J. Walker or Will Grier under center.” Rhule declined to say who would start if Bridgewater was unable.

Okung and Miller being listed as doubtful is also an underrated blow to this offense, as it’s not totally clear who will replace them in the starting lineup. Dennis Daley, Greg Little, and Trent Scott have all got shots at left tackle, while Daley or Michael Schofield could be in the mix at right guard. Any which way, losing their top two offensive linemen could be problematic.

On defense, most of the players listed above are expected to play, except for starting corner Donte Jackson, who will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Troy Pride Jr. a fourth-round pick out of Notre Dame. Like most rookie corners, Pride has struggled this season, potentially creating an opportunity for the Lions, despite their banged-up receiving corps.

Panthers rookie watch: Sam Franklin shined in Week 9 vs. Chiefs

Here is a review of how the other rookies did on Sunday.

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The Panthers played the Chiefs down to the wire yesterday despite missing their most important defensive player: second-round pick Jeremy Chinn.

Here is a review of how the other rookies did on Sunday.

DB/LB Sam Franklin shines

The most impressive first-year performance this week came from the undrafted linebacker/safety Sam Franklin. With Chinn out, he stepped up and made some eye-catching stops. Watch Franklin sniff out a screen pass for Le’Veon Bell and shut it down with some help from Derrick Brown.

On the very next play, Franklin spied Patrick Mahomes and brought him down for a big loss.

Franklin finished the game with seven combined tackles, tied with Shaq Thompson for the team lead. This is turning out to be one of the team’s better under-the-radar pickups of the year.

DT Derrick Brown’s penalty problems continue

Brown has experienced the usual ups-and-downs that most NFL rookies do. At times he’s been explosive and disruptive, at others he’s been washed out or made mistakes that are natural for his level of experience. One theme that’s been running all along is his penalty problem. Brown was flagged twice in yesterday’s loss. Even though one of them was questionable, that brings his season total to seven penalties, tied for the second-most in the league. The coaching staff has to get Brown to cut these down eventually. His pressure rate remains strong, though and his stock is still up.

DE Yetur Gross-Matos and DT Bravvion Roy didn’t play much

The Panthers’ first second-round pick didn’t see much action. Gross-Matos was activated from the injured reserve list on Saturday along with Christian McCaffrey. He wound up playing just 13 defensive snaps, though – 21% of the team’s total. It was a similar story for sixth-rounder Bravvion Roy. While he was in the starting lineup, he was only on the field for 21 defensive snaps.

CB Troy Pride essentially demoted

Even at 80% with a lingering toe injury, Donte Jackson is still far better in coverage than Troy Pride Jr. at this point. Carolina has accepted that and it was reflected in their snap counts this week. Rasul Douglas played every snap after being activated from the team’s COVID-19/reserve list and Jackson only missed two. Pride saw just 17 on defense. He is still involved on special teams, though. Douglas and Jackson both struggled awfully against Kansas City, too. Pride may yet get another opportunity to show improvement later this season.

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Panthers rookie watch: Jeremy Chinn does it all in Week 8

Panthers rookie watch: Jeremy Chinn does it all in Week 8 vs. Falcons.

The Panthers lost to the Falcons last night at home, 25-17. While it was a frustrating loss in many ways, there were once again some hopeful signs from the rookie class of 2020.

Here’s how they did in Week 8.

DT Derrick Brown 

Brown didn’t light up the stat sheet against the Falcons. That’s generally not what defensive tackles, do though. Brown is still doing a good job eating space and setting up his teammates to make stops. This sack for Efe Obada is a solid example.

Brown was flagged for a holding penalty at one point but it was an atrocious call and not his fault.

DB/LB/RB Jeremy Chinn

It’s starting to look like this kid really can do it all. Last night, Chinn showed he can make a difference on special teams, as well. He gained 28 rushing yards on this fake punt, which Chinn apparently called on an audible.

Chinn also led the team with 10 combined tackles and is starting to make an impact as a pass rusher, as well – totaling four pressures on Matt Ryan. He’s an exceptional talent who is going to have a special career.

CB Troy Pride Jr.

While the future for Chinn looks exceedingly bright, it’s the opposite for Pride. He got extended playing time with Rasul Douglas out again and Donte Jackson having to leave early due to his toe injury. Pride can’t even seem to keep his own feet under him at this point.

If they’re going to compete for a wild card spot, the Panthers need to bring in more help at this position.

S Sam Franklin

Franklin also saw a big snap count for the second week in a row. There were times when he looked lost on the field, but Franklin did tally four tackles and came through with a clutch PBU on Julio Jones to prevent a touchdown.

CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver III

A lot of rookies saw action in the second half, including the team’s seventh-round draft pick. Thomas-Oliver played his first defensive snaps of the season. Having him cover Julio one-on-one isn’t ideal, but he made a couple of nice plays and one tackle on third down.

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos remains on the injured reserve list with a high ankle sprain. He will be eligible to return to the active roster soon but will likely be out a while longer.

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Panthers rookie watch: Derrick Brown ineffective vs. Saints

Here is a review of how the kids did against New Orleans.

The Panthers kept it close on Sunday as they have all season. In the end, they couldn’t score an upset over the division-rival Saints, falling on the road 27-24. It was also a pretty forgettable week for their 2020 rookie class.

Here is a review of how the kids did against New Orleans.

Derrick Brown was ineffective

Brown has made some splash plays as a run-stuffer and came into this week with six tackles for a loss, tied with Aaron Donald for the league-lead among DTs. However, he was completely ineffective against a New Orleans offensive line that dominated everyone in a Carolina uniform not named Brian Burns. Brown finished the game with just one tackle, half of Bravvion Roy’s total. There’s not too much to be concerned about, here. The Saints will shut down a lot of good linemen and Brown will have his ups and downs.

Jeremy Chinn still growing

Chinn was the exception to the rule. He has been a standout against the run all season, but had some issues in coverage early on. His improvement in this area continues. Last week he had a pick and a PBU on Nick Foles and Sunday he came through with another nice deflection against Drew Brees.

Chinn finished second on the team with eight combined tackles.

Troy Pride Jr. struggled again

With cornerback Rasul Douglas on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list, Pride got another chance with the starters. Again, he had troubles in coverage. This time around he got benched in favor of Eli Apple. Pride may yet develop into a respectable corner. He should probably be spending all of his playing time on special teams right now, though.

Sam Franklin played every snap

The Panthers lost another starter in the defensive backfield this week with safety Juston Burris going on injured reserve. Undrafted rookie Sam Franklin took his place in the starting lineup and wound up playing every single defensive snap. Franklin posted two tackles and got into a little scuffle with Saints tight end Josh Hill at one point.

Relatable. Franklin didn’t stand out but didn’t embarrass himself, either.

Kenny Robinson debuts, Myles Hartsfield runs

Fifth-round pick Kenny Robinson finally saw his first action of the 2020 season. He was called up from the practice squad and played 11 snaps on special teams. The undrafted DB/RB Myles Hartsfield got some reps at running back but only managed two yards on two carries.

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