Panthers’ special teams ace steps up as a rare bright spot in a preseason loss to Jets

The Jets were in the red zone threatening to expand their 13-0 lead. Panthers defensive back Sam Franklin Jr. wasn’t going to let that happen.

New York quarterback Tim Boyle received the snap, and after a moment’s hesitation, threw it across his left shoulder toward the 10-yard line. Franklin streaked in front of the pass and intercepted it, dashing up the field before being brought down around the 34-yard line.

“I try to do my best to recognize the play,” Franklin said. “My other teammates had a lot of good coverage of it, so I just was able to go pick it.”

Though he wasn’t able to take it to the house, his play remained a bright spot in Carolina’s 27-0 loss in the team’s first preseason game of the year. The defense allowed 333 yards, 192 of them coming through the air toward Franklin’s secondary, and the offense was unable to balance out the scoreline.

“We don’t take this lightly by any chance,” he said. “(Sunday) we’re gonna come in and evaluate the film like it’s a real game. We try and get this right now, before we get to the season, so we know exactly what we need to do week in and week out.”

Last season, Franklin was one of the best special teams players in the league. He notched 13 special teams tackles on the year, the most by a Panthers player since 2012. In his fourth year on the Panthers, the preseason has allowed him to showcase his abilities as a defensive back rather than simply on kickoffs and punts.

“I’ve been putting in a lot of work over these last couple of years to be ready whenever my coaches need me,” Franklin said. “That’s just what I pride myself on, just being ready when my number’s called.”

This story was originally published August 12, 2023 at 8:46 PM.