Scouting reports on newest Carolina Panthers ... from their former coaches

With the Carolina Panthers pretty much done with their free agency shopping, the Observer talked to the former coaches of several of Carolina’s key offseason acquisitions on Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings.

Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson discussed wide receiver Torrey Smith’s speed, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid addressed defensive tackle Dontari Poe’s weight and conditioning, and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin touched on cornerback Ross Cockrell’s makeup.

A quick scouting report on three of the newest Panthers from their ex-coaches:

Torrey Smith, WR, most recently with Philadelphia

Some observers have criticized the Panthers’ trade for Smith, who likely would have been a salary cap casualty had the Eagles not dealt him for cornerback Daryl Worley.

Pederson did not say whether Philadelphia planned to release Smith, who’s due to make $5 million over the next two seasons. Pederson lumped Smith in with the “tough decisions” teams have to make on personnel every year.

Pederson also said the 29-year-old Smith still possesses top-end speed, which the Panthers believe will help open up Norv Turner’s vertical passing game.

“I do believe he can still run. He could stretch the field for us,” Pederson said. “He did it in the postseason. He did it really a couple times throughout the year. So I do believe he can still do that.”

After catching only 36 passes during the regular season, Smith had 13 receptions in the Eagles’ three playoff wins, including a five-catch night against New England in Super Bowl 52.

“What he did for us, I’ll thank him every single day for helping us win a championship last year,” Pederson said. “A great teammate, a great leader in the locker room, in the community. And it’s hard to part ways with guys like that. But sometimes you do.

“Sometimes you’ve got to add value somewhere, so you make tough decisions that way. We were fortunate to have him for a year. But we made the move and got a defensive back. We needed some help there. And obviously wish (Smith) the best.”

Dontari Poe, DT, formerly with Atlanta and Kansas City

Poe, who signed a three-year, $27 million deal with Carolina, spent last season with the Falcons. But before that he was with the Chiefs for five seasons, when he combined for 10.5 sacks the first two seasons that Reid was Kansas City’s coach.

Poe, who was listed at 346 pounds at the time, also became a footnote in the NFL history books while in Kansas City by becoming the heaviest player to both throw for a touchdown and run for a TD in NFL history.

“I think what you’ll be amazed with is the guy’s 330 pounds and his endurance is phenomenal. He can go all day,” Reid said. “We have a running test and he would always be right up at the front of that running test when the guys would come back to camp. He’s an unbelievable athlete.”

Just like his deal with the Falcons, Poe’s contract with the Panthers includes a weight clause that allows him to collect $500,000 in incentives for hitting certain weight goals.

Poe told Charlotte reporters last week he weighed between 335-340 pounds and didn’t expect his weight to be a problem.

Reid never felt it was an issue, either.

“He kept it right there. Like I said, he was always in unbelievable condition,” Reid said. “I never had a problem with his weight. Never.”

Ross Cockrell, CB, formerly with Buffalo, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants

Cockrell, a former Charlotte Latin and Duke standout, started 23 games in two seasons with the Steelers, including all 16 regular-season games in 2015.

Cockrell became expendable the following preseason after Pittsburgh signed cornerback Joe Haden. The Steelers traded Cockrell to Buffalo for a conditional draft pick, but Tomlin said Tuesday he respected the way Cockrell played and carried himself.

“The can expect a professional, a guy that punches the clock everyday. A team guy,” Tomlin said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for that guy. Happy for him that he’s back in his area, I know it means a lot to him to be at home.”

Tomlin called Cockrell, who had 25 pass breakups and two interceptions in two seasons with the Steelers, a “very combative” cornerback at the line of scrimmage who uses his hands well.

This story was originally published March 27, 2018 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Scouting reports on newest Carolina Panthers ... from their former coaches."