Jarius Wright has experience with Norv Turner. That’s not all he’ll bring to Panthers.

The Carolina Panthers’ expected addition of wide receiver Jarius Wright, as confirmed to the Observer by a source on Monday, might have been a little surprising at first.

After all, Carolina just traded with Philadelphia for veteran flanker Torrey Smith last week. Like Smith, Wright’s deal is for two years, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The terms were not immediately confirmed to the Observer as the contract has not yet been signed.

In actuality, the signing of Wright, a fourth-round draft pick out of Arkansas in 2012, makes a ton of sense.

Wright, 28, has experience in new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s system from the two’s time in Minnesota. Adding at least one player who is familiar with Turner’s scheme will benefit the entire group.

Second, Wright will play in the slot, according to a source familiar with the signing.

Carolina has badly needed an upgrade at slot receiver since 2015, when the team found success with veteran Jerricho Cotchery (now an assistant on the staff).

Wright’s speed – he ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the 2012 NFL scouting combine – means Carolina might be hoping he’s a “faster Cotchery.”

Signing Wright also eases the pressure on second-year receiver Curtis Samuel, the team’s second-round pick last spring.

Samuel had surgery to repair ligaments in his ankle this spring, and while he hopes to be available for training camp, he does not have a specific recovery timetable.

Samuel missed most of his rookie year with various leg injuries, so he will need time to work back into the rotation – essentially living the physical side of his rookie season all over again. While the Panthers see a lot of potential in Samuel as a deep threat and in the slot, they can’t bank on his availability with no contingency plan.

Adding Wright gives Samuel time to develop, while also adding a threat that frees up No. 1 receiver Devin Funchess on the outside.

Wright’s statistics indicate that he will be an important roleplayer in Carolina’s offense, although he likely won’t be the “splashy” playmaker.

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs once called Wright “Mr. Third Down,” and the numbers back that up.

Forty-one percent of Wright’s 153 career catches have been on third down, for 955 yards (about 46 percent of his career total 2,039 yards). He also averaged 14.7 yards per third down catch, his highest average by down, with a 74 percent catch rate.

Wright’s 2016 and 2017 stats slipped, however. After averaging 31 catches for 444 yards through his first four seasons (all with Minnesota), he had a combined 29 catches for 265 yards in the past two seasons. He was released by Minnesota last week.

It’s clear that Panthers general manager Marty Hurney thinks a change of scenery and reuniting with Turner will be good for Wright.

This story was originally published March 19, 2018 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Jarius Wright has experience with Norv Turner. That’s not all he’ll bring to Panthers.."