The Carolina Panthers have signed strong safety Chris Harris to a four-year, $3 million-per-year contract extension yesterday. The Panthers acquired Harris from the Bears for a fifth-round pick last August after Mike Minter retired, and he had a fantastic season, making 97 tackles and forcing 8 fumbles.That's great, Panthers. Who's the free safety?
Deke Cooper is a free agent, and I think we all know neither he nor Quinton Teal are the answer here. There's a possibility Nate Salley could return. He was expected to start at free safety last season until a knee injury sidelined him for the season. His current status is up in the air.
My guess, though, is that Marty Hurney will either sign a free agent or draft someone this offseason. Ken Hamlin would be ideal, but the Cowboys are considering slapping a franchise tag on him. Cincinnati's Madieu Williams and Atlanta's Chris Crocker (Leave Britney alone!!!) and Minnesota's Mike Doss are also available, though nobody's talking about the Panthers pursuing any of them.
Either way, this position needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. If Hurney thinks the Panthers can count on a dodgy-knee Buckeye and a couple of no-names at safety, though, he's clearly deluded.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-14-2008 @ 1:32PM
Justin said...
Well...if we can't get Hamlin, the second best available would be Madieu Williams.
There's always the option of drafting Kenny Phillips if he's available by the time the Panthers pick.
But I have a question: If Dallas slap the tag on Hamlin, couldn't the Panthers still lure him away???
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2-14-2008 @ 1:34PM
Dave said...
Justin: Yes, the Panthers could still sign Hamlin, but there's no reason to spend two #1 picks on Hamlin if they can get Kenny Phillips with one -- or Madieu Williams with zero. That's the power of the franchise tag. Giving away that many picks is simply too big a risk for most teams, and you want to be certain when you spend that much on one player.
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2-14-2008 @ 6:52PM
jackofalltrades1977 said...
I actually like CJ Wilson, but don't think he's the immediate answer.
I would love to land Kenny Phillips, but I think the Panthers will look elsewhere in the first round, maybe picking up a safety in later rounds.
It's pretty clear that the Panthers don't place a premium on safeties and I really believe the best thing they can do for our DB's is to address the pass rush, or lack thereof.
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