Carolina Panthers sign veteran cornerback Eli Apple to one-year deal
The Panthers have signed cornerback Eli Apple to a one-year deal.
The move fills a major need for the team in the defensive backfield. Prior to the signing, Carolina only had one cornerback with three-plus years of experience going into this upcoming season. While Apple won’t turn 25 until August, he has spent the last four seasons in the league, playing in 55 regular season games and three postseason games during that time.
Adding a veteran cornerback was the top priority that the team was looking to address. General manager Marty Hurney said Wednesday on WFNZ that the Panthers were looking to add a veteran at the position that fit with what the team was looking to do while the young players they drafted continue to develop.
Previously this offseason, Apple had a deal in place to join the Raiders, however, that fell through and he became a free agent again at the beginning of April.
Apple was the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the Giants. In his career, the former Ohio State defensive back has three interceptions and 33 passes defensed (tied for 40th since 2016). There have been plenty of ups and downs throughout his time in the NFL, including serving a suspension at the end of the 2017 season for one game after he argued with a coach. Earlier that week teammate Landon Collins referred to Apple as a “cancer.”
He was traded to the Saints during the 2018 season and became an immediate starter in New Orleans, playing in a combined 25 games for the Saints over the past two years with 58 tackles, 13 passes defensed and two interceptions. New Orleans declined to exercise his fifth-year option last offseason.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound corner has proven to be effective in man coverage. The cornerback, however, has battled inconsistency throughout his career, including leading New Orleans with 11 penalties last year and being called for pass interference 11 times throughout his time with the Saints.
Apple’s 2019 season ended early due to an ankle injury suffered in Week 16. Prior to that, he allowed 43 receptions on 68 targets, per PFF, the highest completion percentage given up in his career (63.2%).
During the early portion of his career in New York, there were many negative reports about his behavior and how he was perceived in the locker room. However, that changed in New Orleans where he joined multiple former Ohio State teammates, including CB Marshon Lattimore and S Vonn Bell.
The Panthers drafted two cornerbacks in this year’s draft, Troy Pride Jr. in the fourth round out of Notre Dame and Stan Thomas-Oliver in the seventh out of Florida International. Apple gives the team a more experienced option to potentially start opposite Donte Jackson.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 5:47 PM.
