Panthers sign veteran linebacker who started every game last season
The Carolina Panthers have added some needed help at the linebacker position.
The team signed veteran Josh Bynes to a one-year deal Wednesday. Bynes, who turns 32 on Aug. 24, started all 16 games for the Bengals last season with a career-high 99 tackles.
Bynes has also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn by the Ravens in 2011. Last year was only his second season playing all 16 games. He won Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens. Bynes was a teammate of Cam Newton’s at Auburn.
Inside linebacker has been a problem area for the Panthers since the retirement of Luke Kuechly in January 2020. After veteran free agent Tahir Whitehead did not work out last season, the team signed Denzel Perryman. However, Perryman has been out with a soft-tissue injury suffered during training camp and will miss more time than expected.
Backups Clay Johnston and Julian Stanford have also been dealing with injuries, leaving few available players. Fourth-year linebacker Jermaine Carter has taken a majority of the first-team reps with the injuries.
The team also released safety Lano Hill after activating him from the COVID-19 list. Hill also dealt with a foot injury.
This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 11:41 AM.
