BY CORY SPIERS
coryspiers@gmail.com
The Panthers found their veteran running back to replace Jonathon Stewart, inking former Bronco CJ Anderson to a one-year deal earlier this week.
The Anderson signing addresses a need fans and media were clamoring for someone to fill after the team chose not to take a running back in the draft.
Carolina added former Louisville running back/quarterback/wide receiver Reggie Bonnafon as an undrafted free agent, but even with that addition, the team was still left with only Cameron Artis-Payne and Fozzy Whittaker behind swiss army knife Christian McCaffrey.
Adding Anderson gives the Panthers the true between the tackles runner they were searching for.
Other needs still exist, though. Carolina also chose not to take an offensive lineman in the draft, instead opting to add three guards-- Clemson's Taylor Hearn, Penn State's Brendon Mahon and West Virginia product Kyle Bosch-- as undrafted free agents.
Proven offensive line depth remains a bit of a concern for Carolina, which also lost All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell to free agency earlier this offseason.
The Panthers added a pair of defensive backs in the draft, drafting speedy corner Donte Jackson out of LSU in the second round before grabbing Tennessee corner/safety Rashaan Gaulden in the third round.
Carolina could still use some depth at safety and at guard. If for no other reason but to provide training camp competition for undrafted players and other roster hopefuls.
If the Panthers could uncover some additional cap room with some clever maneuvering, here are some hypothetical names who would make sense in Carolina and provide the right kind of experienced depth.
Eric Reid, Safety:
Reid has been high on the offseason wish list for many Panthers fans.
The 26-year-old still remains unsigned and cites his social activism as the main reason why. Reid was one of the faces of the anthem protests that ran rampant around the league this past season.
The NFL Player's Association filed a grievance on Reid's behalf earlier this week. According to sources, his only free agent visit this offseason was a stop in Cincinnati.
All can be forgotten with a trip to Carolina.
Reid fills an immediate need. In five seasons with the 49ers, the former first-round pick racked up 319 tackles, 10 interceptions and two forced fumbles.
With Jerry Richardson as the team's owner, a player like Reid probably wouldn't be a possibility. But the team isn't Richardson's for much longer.
For what it's worth, Reid did say he does not plan on continuing to kneel during the anthem, per NFL.com.
Reid, a former LSU Tiger, wouldn't be uncharted territory for the Panthers. Jackson is also an LSU product and guard Trai Turner briefly played with Reid under Les Miles.
Tre Boston, Safety:
Everything old is new again.
Boston is a name Panthers fans know well. The UNC product was a fourth-round pick of the Panthers in 2014 and went on to play three adequate seasons in Charlotte.
The Panthers cut ties with Boston before the 2017 season and the Chargers inked him to a deal. In Los Angeles, Boston enjoyed a career season, playing all 16 games and setting career-highs in tackles (79), interceptions (five) and passes defended (eight).
Boston turns 26 in June. According to a 247sports report, he has talked with the Panthers front office.
Boston knows head coach Ron Rivera and he knows the team. He's slightly less flashy than Reid but would fill the need all the same.
Kenny Vaccaro, Safety:
Trading safeties with the enemy? Why not?
Shortly after Carolina cut ties with veteran safety Kurt Coleman, the Saints scooped him up.
Former New Orleans safety and first-round pick Kenny Vaccaro remains on the market. With New Orleans adding Coleman and drafting Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams in second rounds over the past two years, the writing was on the wall.
Vaccaro is a talented player looking for a breakthrough.
As a rookie out of Texas, Vaccaro burst onto the scene under the guidance of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Vaccaro amassed 79 tackles and added eight passes defended and an interception on his way to finishing third place in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Vaccaro had season-ending groin surgery in December of this past season and was limited to 12 games. He served a four-game suspension for the use of Adderall the season before that and appeared in just 11 games.
Still, Vaccaro has skill. In his five seasons as a Saint, he had 385 tackles, 30 passes defended, eight interceptions and 7.5 sacks.
Aside from his groin injury in 2017, Vaccaro also broke his ankle late in his rookie campaign and dealt with a quadriceps injury as an NFL sophomore.
When healthy, Vaccaro has potential and perhaps most importantly, he has versatility. Much like Jackson, Vaccaro can play and has played all over the defensive backfield.
Vaccaro played nickel corner in college and has played free safety, strong safety and a quasi-linebacker role as a pro.
Vaccaro is a thumper with good blitz ability. Oh, and he's only 27.
Luke Joeckel, G:
Talk about falling from grace.
Joeckel was once upon a time the NFL Draft's second overall pick.
The Jaguars grabbed Joeckel at that spot in 2013 and thought they had found a cornerstone piece to add to their offensive line.
Fast forward five years and... well, that's not the case.
In Joeckel's defense, he's been slotted all over the field as a pro and has dealt with his share of injuries.
Joeckel was a standout at Texas A&M, where he earned All-American and first-team All-SEC honors while playing left tackle.
Jacksonville started Joeckel at right tackle but moved him back to his natural side after a personnel shift on their line.
Joeckel's season was cut short, anyway. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5.
Joeckel started 34 games over the next three seasons in Jacksonville and then got news the Jaguars wouldn't pick up his fifth-year option, sending him to the open market.
Joeckel inked a deal with the Seahawks and started 11 games as a guard.
Joeckel had midseason knee surgery and missed a five-game stretch, during which Seattle went 3-2.
Joeckel obviously hasn't lived up to his top-three pick potential. He's been inconsistent and has had a tough time staying healthy.
But on a bare-bones, one-year deal? It could be worth a try.
Joeckel has impressive size (6-6, 310) and is still just 26. The Panthers have gambled and got solid payouts from offensive line castoffs before, but they don't want to be blindsided on one.
Jahri Evans, Guard:
How much gas does this 12-year veteran have left in the tank?
That's the million dollar question.
The Panthers know Evans quite well. He spent 11 seasons in New Orleans as a starting guard and helped the team win the Super Bowl in 2009-10.
Evans is a six-time Pro Bowler (though he hasn't done it since 2014) and is a four-time first-team All-Pro selection (which he last accomplished in 2012).
The Saints jettisoned Evans in 2016 and the Seahawks kicked his tires, signing him to a one-year deal but releasing him in the preseason.
Evans returned to New Orleans for a second stint in September 2016 and had a fine year, starting all 16 games for the Saints at guard.
Evans signed with Green Bay before the 2017 season and went on to start all 14 games he appeared in at right guard.
Evans has said he's mulled retirement but added he's open to continuing his career. He has cited interest in returning to Green Bay, but it remains to be seen if that interest is mutual.
Evans has some serious mileage. But the 34-year-old brings 183 career regular season starts, and you can't teach NFL trench experience.
coryspiers@gmail.com
The Panthers found their veteran running back to replace Jonathon Stewart, inking former Bronco CJ Anderson to a one-year deal earlier this week.
The Anderson signing addresses a need fans and media were clamoring for someone to fill after the team chose not to take a running back in the draft.
Carolina added former Louisville running back/quarterback/wide receiver Reggie Bonnafon as an undrafted free agent, but even with that addition, the team was still left with only Cameron Artis-Payne and Fozzy Whittaker behind swiss army knife Christian McCaffrey.
Adding Anderson gives the Panthers the true between the tackles runner they were searching for.
Other needs still exist, though. Carolina also chose not to take an offensive lineman in the draft, instead opting to add three guards-- Clemson's Taylor Hearn, Penn State's Brendon Mahon and West Virginia product Kyle Bosch-- as undrafted free agents.
Proven offensive line depth remains a bit of a concern for Carolina, which also lost All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell to free agency earlier this offseason.
The Panthers added a pair of defensive backs in the draft, drafting speedy corner Donte Jackson out of LSU in the second round before grabbing Tennessee corner/safety Rashaan Gaulden in the third round.
Carolina could still use some depth at safety and at guard. If for no other reason but to provide training camp competition for undrafted players and other roster hopefuls.
If the Panthers could uncover some additional cap room with some clever maneuvering, here are some hypothetical names who would make sense in Carolina and provide the right kind of experienced depth.
Eric Reid, Safety:
Reid has been high on the offseason wish list for many Panthers fans.
The 26-year-old still remains unsigned and cites his social activism as the main reason why. Reid was one of the faces of the anthem protests that ran rampant around the league this past season.
The NFL Player's Association filed a grievance on Reid's behalf earlier this week. According to sources, his only free agent visit this offseason was a stop in Cincinnati.
All can be forgotten with a trip to Carolina.
Reid fills an immediate need. In five seasons with the 49ers, the former first-round pick racked up 319 tackles, 10 interceptions and two forced fumbles.
With Jerry Richardson as the team's owner, a player like Reid probably wouldn't be a possibility. But the team isn't Richardson's for much longer.
For what it's worth, Reid did say he does not plan on continuing to kneel during the anthem, per NFL.com.
Reid, a former LSU Tiger, wouldn't be uncharted territory for the Panthers. Jackson is also an LSU product and guard Trai Turner briefly played with Reid under Les Miles.
Tre Boston, Safety:
Everything old is new again.
Boston is a name Panthers fans know well. The UNC product was a fourth-round pick of the Panthers in 2014 and went on to play three adequate seasons in Charlotte.
The Panthers cut ties with Boston before the 2017 season and the Chargers inked him to a deal. In Los Angeles, Boston enjoyed a career season, playing all 16 games and setting career-highs in tackles (79), interceptions (five) and passes defended (eight).
Boston turns 26 in June. According to a 247sports report, he has talked with the Panthers front office.
Boston knows head coach Ron Rivera and he knows the team. He's slightly less flashy than Reid but would fill the need all the same.
Kenny Vaccaro, Safety:
Trading safeties with the enemy? Why not?
Shortly after Carolina cut ties with veteran safety Kurt Coleman, the Saints scooped him up.
Former New Orleans safety and first-round pick Kenny Vaccaro remains on the market. With New Orleans adding Coleman and drafting Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams in second rounds over the past two years, the writing was on the wall.
Vaccaro is a talented player looking for a breakthrough.
As a rookie out of Texas, Vaccaro burst onto the scene under the guidance of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Vaccaro amassed 79 tackles and added eight passes defended and an interception on his way to finishing third place in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Vaccaro had season-ending groin surgery in December of this past season and was limited to 12 games. He served a four-game suspension for the use of Adderall the season before that and appeared in just 11 games.
Still, Vaccaro has skill. In his five seasons as a Saint, he had 385 tackles, 30 passes defended, eight interceptions and 7.5 sacks.
Aside from his groin injury in 2017, Vaccaro also broke his ankle late in his rookie campaign and dealt with a quadriceps injury as an NFL sophomore.
When healthy, Vaccaro has potential and perhaps most importantly, he has versatility. Much like Jackson, Vaccaro can play and has played all over the defensive backfield.
Vaccaro played nickel corner in college and has played free safety, strong safety and a quasi-linebacker role as a pro.
Vaccaro is a thumper with good blitz ability. Oh, and he's only 27.
Luke Joeckel, G:
Talk about falling from grace.
Joeckel was once upon a time the NFL Draft's second overall pick.
The Jaguars grabbed Joeckel at that spot in 2013 and thought they had found a cornerstone piece to add to their offensive line.
Fast forward five years and... well, that's not the case.
In Joeckel's defense, he's been slotted all over the field as a pro and has dealt with his share of injuries.
Joeckel was a standout at Texas A&M, where he earned All-American and first-team All-SEC honors while playing left tackle.
Jacksonville started Joeckel at right tackle but moved him back to his natural side after a personnel shift on their line.
Joeckel's season was cut short, anyway. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5.
Joeckel started 34 games over the next three seasons in Jacksonville and then got news the Jaguars wouldn't pick up his fifth-year option, sending him to the open market.
Joeckel inked a deal with the Seahawks and started 11 games as a guard.
Joeckel had midseason knee surgery and missed a five-game stretch, during which Seattle went 3-2.
Joeckel obviously hasn't lived up to his top-three pick potential. He's been inconsistent and has had a tough time staying healthy.
But on a bare-bones, one-year deal? It could be worth a try.
Joeckel has impressive size (6-6, 310) and is still just 26. The Panthers have gambled and got solid payouts from offensive line castoffs before, but they don't want to be blindsided on one.
Jahri Evans, Guard:
How much gas does this 12-year veteran have left in the tank?
That's the million dollar question.
The Panthers know Evans quite well. He spent 11 seasons in New Orleans as a starting guard and helped the team win the Super Bowl in 2009-10.
Evans is a six-time Pro Bowler (though he hasn't done it since 2014) and is a four-time first-team All-Pro selection (which he last accomplished in 2012).
The Saints jettisoned Evans in 2016 and the Seahawks kicked his tires, signing him to a one-year deal but releasing him in the preseason.
Evans returned to New Orleans for a second stint in September 2016 and had a fine year, starting all 16 games for the Saints at guard.
Evans signed with Green Bay before the 2017 season and went on to start all 14 games he appeared in at right guard.
Evans has said he's mulled retirement but added he's open to continuing his career. He has cited interest in returning to Green Bay, but it remains to be seen if that interest is mutual.
Evans has some serious mileage. But the 34-year-old brings 183 career regular season starts, and you can't teach NFL trench experience.
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