How Panthers’ Jeremy Chinn went from FCS safety to one of NFL’s best defensive rookies
When the Carolina Panthers drafted Jeremy Chinn 64th overall in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, they saw a hybrid player they could use in multiple ways.
With the loss of so many pieces on defense from 2019, the Panthers desperately needed it. And Chinn’s 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame, 4.45-speed in the 40-yard dash, and his “team-first” attitude allowed for that.
“We thought we got a tremendous player when we traded up to draft him,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said last week. “And he has not disappointed.”
Through Week 16, Chinn leads the Panthers with 110 tackles, has two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries for touchdowns and an interception.
He’s a front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year, while primarily playing Sam linebacker, a position he had never played prior to joining the Panthers. His play, along with the play of other young pieces, has given the franchise hope that the future is bright for this Panthers defense, which recently held MVP-candidate Aaron Rodgers to a season-low 143 yards passing and forced former Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins to commit three first-half turnovers last week.
Rodgers notably called the Panthers defense “weird” because of the different and unusual looks it gave throughout the game. Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow said that’s only possible because they have multiple “positionless players.”
Although Chinn primarily lines up with the front seven, he sometimes drops back with the secondary on passing downs.
For instance, on one second-half drive in Week 15 against the Packers, Chinn lined up as the deep safety, while Tre Boston and Juston Burris showed blitz and covered the flat. Chinn was the sole safety responsible for helping on the deep pass.
Rodgers briefly looked deep, but both receivers running deep routes were covered. On the very next defensive play, Chinn was lined up as a linebacker. The Packers ran the ball, and Chinn made a tackle before allowing Packers running Aaron Jones to pick up the first down.
Those two instances show Chinn’s versatility and his value to the defense.
“I think what makes us unique is we’re able to play three- and four-man with the same personnel on the field,” Snow said. “And you can only do that when you have a guy like Brian (Burns) and Chinn.”
“When you have to substitute, offensively, they now can counter. But when you can line up and do multiple things with the same group, it creates a lot of problems offensively.”
‘He understand football’
At Southern Illinois, Chinn made his mark as a safety where he was a consensus FCS All-American. He played some cornerback as well. And there were other coaches around the league aware of his capability as well.
Former Panthers coach and current Washington coach Ron Rivera said even Washington looked into drafting Chinn.
“Our safeties coach Richard Rodgers, who was with me at Carolina, he liked him a lot,” Rivera said. “He brought him to our attention during the draft process. And he’s done exactly what a lot of people thought he would. He’s been very valuable to them.”
It hasn’t come easy, however. Chinn had never played linebacker in college. It was a new position, but he was willing to do anything he could to get on the field.
Al Holcomb, the Panthers’ defensive running game coordinator and former linebackers coach, was tasked with getting Chinn up to speed in a shorter time frame. The pandemic canceled Organized Team Activities and other potential in-person meetings that would have allowed him to learn quicker.
Holcomb and Chinn worked on his footwork as a linebacker, his eyes and what he saw, how to handle blocks from offensive linemen, diagnosing running plays and other areas.
“It was definitely a challenge,” Chinn said of learning the position.
But he adjusted well.
In training camp he stood out for his speed and ability to move from sideline to sideline. That carried over in the Panthers’ Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. In his first game, Chinn had eight tackles, including seven solo tackles.
Since then, he has gotten better.
“He’s one of those guys that once you tell him something once or twice, it kind of sticks and he picks it up,” Holcomb said.
Chinn comes from a football family. His dad, James Chinn, was a star safety at Southeast Missouri State in the early ‘90s. His step-uncle, Steven Atwater, was a safety as well, and a two-time Super Bowl champion. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February 2020.
“He understands football, which is good because he has a natural feel for the game,” Holcomb said. “He’s got a long way to go but he’s progressing nicely.”
DROTY front-runner
Off the field, Chinn is quiet and humble. He doesn’t like to talk much about himself.
But on the field, he turns on a switch. It’s as if he has an alter-ego. A player intent on doing destruction on the field.
“He’s talking junk and celebrating with his teammates, which I really didn’t know about him, meeting with him virtually all offseason,” Holcomb said with a laugh. “But once I saw that part of him, I said ‘OK, he’s got a little something to him.’ ”
Panthers linebacker Tahir Whitehead called Chinn the “tone-setter” for this Panthers team. He said other players try to model themselves after Chinn.
“We all ask ourselves, ‘Are you playing with the same intent or the same tempo as 21’s playing?’ ” Whitehead said, referencing Chinn’s number. “And then if the answer is no, then it’s like, you’re shortchanging yourself. You’re shortchanging the team, so turn it up.”
Chinn’s success this season at linebacker and safety, and his impact on the Panthers is why he is one of the front-runners for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award along with Washington’s Chase Young.
Chinn’s defining moment will be the 10-second spurt in Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings. On back-to-back snaps, Chinn recovered two fumbles — he forced one — and returned both for touchdowns. Though the Panthers lost that week, the two game-changing plays put the Panthers up 21-10 early in the third quarter and shifted momentum in the game.
In Week 14 against the Broncos, Chinn recorded the first sack of his career. The Panthers sent him on a blitz and when he reached Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, he hit him so hard, it jarred the ball loose. The Panthers recovered it.
“Just watch the film,” Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson said, when asked why Chinn should win Defensive Rookie of the Year. “Just watch the film.”
A new role for 2021?
Although Chinn has had much success this season, his role may change next season. Snow said the coaching staff plans to evaluate how they may utilize him next year, and that depends on the Panthers’ roster makeup after the offseason.
“The biggest thing with Jeremy that we have to decide is, we started him in the front-7, and then we have packages where he plays in the back row, in the secondary,” Snow said. “Well, with his body structure and his longevity and things like that, is that the best thing for him?
“Should he be a secondary guy that we use down in the box when we need to? So that’s what we have to evaluate and look at this offseason.”
But Chinn’s coaches are optimistic the rookie would be able to handle a new role if needed. He’s done it before and did it well.
“I have confidence in Jeremy,” Holcomb said. “He’s accountable and we can rely on him — his teammates and coaches — because I know what we’re getting day in and day out.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
