If the Carolina Panthers want Yetur Gross-Matos back, they may have to fend off some competition on the open market.
According to Joseph Person of The Athletic, the outside linebacker is garnering some attention from multiple teams ahead of free agency. Person included the following about Gross-Matos amongst his post-combine takeaways from Sunday morning:
The 26-year-old Gross-Matos has drawn interest from the Panthers and other teams after his most productive season as a pass rusher. Gross-Matos finished with a career-high 4 1/2 sacks despite missing seven games while on injured reserve with what Frank Reich called a “pretty significant” hamstring injury. Gross-Matos has been solid setting the edge since arriving as a second-round pick from Penn State in 2020. Maybe he’s turning the corner as a pass rusher. But if the Panthers re-sign him, they’d still need another one.
Compared to his previous role as a 4-3 end, the former second-round pick thrived in the team’s new system under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Along with those 4.5 sacks, Gross-Matos also averaged his most pressures (19) per pass-rushing attempt (192) in his transition to a stand-up backer.
In addition to Gross-Matos, the Panthers are currently without fresh deals for fellow pass rushers Brian Burns and Marquis Haynes Sr.
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