How the Panthers are addressing cornerback depth and Curtis Samuel’s contract situation
The Panthers’ roster has taken its final shape and the first game of the year is days away.
Despite that, how the team will look on the field Sunday when the Panthers host the Raiders at Bank of America Stadium is somewhat unknown. With an entirely new coaching staff and more than 30 new players on the roster, things will look different. Add to that the fact that there have been no preseason games, and even general manager Marty Hurney is “anxious” to see how the team looks Sunday.
“There’s been a lot of questions asked about no preseason games,” Hurney said Tuesday. “I think where the no preseason games comes into play is now we play Sunday and now we get our first evaluation under the lights, so to speak.”
Hurney addressed the media about a variety of topics Tuesday related to the start of the season.
What’s up with the Panthers’ cornerbacks?
One of the Panthers’ weakest positions is cornerback. The team allowed former No. 1 corner James Bradberry to walk this offseason. He signed a three-year, $43.5 million deal with the Giants.
The Panthers placed cornerback Eli Apple on injured reserve Monday with an ankle/foot injury that is not related to the ankle injury he suffered at the end of last season with the Saints. Now the team’s cornerback room includes third-year player Donte Jackson, rookies Troy Pride Jr. and Stantley Thomas Oliver, Corn Elder and recently claimed former Eagle Rasul Douglas.
Jackson and Pride Jr. will start, as they likely would have done even if Apple was healthy, but there is a lack of depth at corner. Hurney pointed out the team likes that Elder can play outside and nickel. Douglas was someone they had their eyes on as new director of play personnel Pat Stewart previously worked in Philadelphia and knew what to expect from him. But it’s still a position they are looking to “upgrade” and the Panthers had been exploring potential trade partners.
“Obviously that’s been a position that we’ve been looking at to try to see if we could help upgrade. I think that Troy Pride has gotten better every week. Our defensive back coaches have done a great job with the guys we have, improving them. We’re young there with Troy and Stantley Thomas-Oliver in this year’s draft,” Hurney said. “Corn Elder has really done a good job and and can play the nickel position and we have Rasul Douglas who adds size and experience to us. He started 16 some games in this league over the last three years ... That’s an area that you’re always, we’ve been looking at to improve, but I think we’ll see how it comes along.”
What does that mean? They aren’t done trying to address the issue if there is a problem. The Panthers will have to face some of the top quarterbacks in the league this season within their division with Tom Brady, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. Add in some of the top receivers in the league around the NFC South, and having issues at corner will become evident quickly. Without preseason games, it is much harder for all NFL teams to get a sense of how players are developing. How that impacts roster transactions after Week 1 will be something to watch.
Expiring rookie contracts
The Panthers have two major players on the last years of their rookie deals — wide receiver Curtis Samuel and right tackle Taylor Moton.
Hurney said Tuesday that there have not been conversations with either player (or, more accurately, their agents) about extensions.
“We have not had any talks up to this point,” Hurney said. “I think right now our focus has been on trying to really get the best 69-player roster that we can. That’s where we are and we’ll move forward from there, but we have not so far no.”
Samuel, who was selected in the second-round of the 2017 NFL draft (40th overall), has not performed up to the standard that many had hoped for. Over his three years in the league, he has totaled 1,236 receiving yards, 278 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns. Samuel, 24, was a running back in college and the talk from coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady has been taking advantage of all of skill sets in the new offense. There was interest from other teams this offseason to trade for Samuel, so there will certainly be other teams interested this offseason. This will be a big year for him to show if the Panthers and other want to invest in him going forward.
Moton, on the other hand, has been incredibly consistent for the Panthers at right tackle. Since being selected after Samuel in the second-round of the draft (64th overall), he has played in all 48 games, starting 16 each of the past two seasons. Moton is a key piece of the team’s line at right tackle again this year and is arguably the best offensive lineman on the roster.
However, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed that an extension at this time is unlikely, and that at this time it looks like Moton will likely be entering free agency. Recent offensive tackle extensions that have been signed include the Lions giving Taylor Decker a five-year, $70.35 million deal and the Bills giving Dion Dawkins a four-year, $60 million contract, but both are left tackles. Moton’s camp will likely be looking in that range or at least be using those contracts as reference points.
Hurney has done in-season extensions before. The team gave linebacker Shaq Thompson a four-year extension last December.
Rollercoaster with Efe Obada
The Panthers waived defensive end Efe Obada on Sunday and then re-signed him Monday when they placed Apple on injured reserve. The team had to make the move, along with waiving tackle Matt Kaskey and fifth-round pick Kenny Robinson, who were both later placed on the practice squad, to make room for three waiver claims Sunday — Douglas, DE Shareef Miller and OT Trent Scott.
“Boy, that was one of those calculated risks, I guess, that you hold your breath on for a few hours ... But we thought we had a chance to get a young talented end in Shareef Miller on Sunday at noon, and as I said, it’s hard because you can’t put the injured reserve guys that you want to bring back on IR until 4 pm (Sunday), so you have to make roster moves,” Hurney explained. “We told (Obada) that as soon as he cleared, we wanted him back on on the 53. He wanted to stay here. That was a tough three or four hours yesterday just crossing our fingers that he would clear, but he did and now we have 10 defensive linemen and we have two young players in Shareef Miller and Efe that we really like at defensive end.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 2:50 PM.
