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As the NFL free agency period starts Russell Color Rush Shepard Jersey , a crowded safety group means there will be a lot of possible solutions to the Carolina Panthers’ questions."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomCarolina Panthers free agency 2019The free agent market is loaded at safety this offseasonNew,106commentsAs the NFL free agency period starts, a crowded safety group means there will be a lot of possible solutions to the Carolina Panthers’ questions.ESTShareTweetShareShareThe free agent market is loaded at safety this offseasonKirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsThe Panthers re-signed Eric Reid in the offseason to a contract averaging $7 million per year, addressing their strong safety need before free agency and the draft. However, with Mike Adams and Colin Jones departing, only Rashaan Gaulden and Da’Norris Searcy remain to start opposite him. It is somewhat likely that the team feels these guys could be feasible in 2019, however the 2018 season showed that Carolina’s approach to the safety position doesn’t work so well without elite front seven play. Addressing that and completely turning it around could be a major challenge to do in one offseason, so addressing the free safety position would make a lot of sense. Let’s break down the free agency class to see what’s realistic Jordan Scarlett Jersey , and what isn’t.The pipe dreamsEarl Thomas: Despite coming off a season ending injury in 2018, Earl Thomas is still widely considered one of the best free safeties in the NFL. He’s a game changer, and on the open market he should warrant a mostly guaranteed one-two year deal that will still pay him up in the top as far as annual salary goes. The Panthers can’t afford this unless Marty Hurney can get really creative.Landon Collins: Collins is coming off a year where he was at worst in the conversation for defensive player of the year. Collins is going to reset the safety market, and Carolina doesn’t have the money.Lamarcus Joyner: After coming off the franchise tag as a versatile defensive back for the Super Bowl runner-up Los Angeles Rams, Joyner is looking to get paid this offseason. A player like him who can play both safety positions and have value in the slot is going to get paid on the open market by a team with bonkers cap space.The short term guysEric Weddle: Weddle was cut by the Baltimore Ravens following a good 2018 season. Weddle is 34, and likely looking for his last NFL contract. Due to his familiarity with Ron Rivera, he could be an excellent fit in Carolina’s supposedly multi-front system in 2019. The issue would be how much he thinks he’s worth after being cut from a $7.5 million deal in the 2018 season.Glover Quin: At 33, Quin hits the market as another veteran likely on his last contract in the NFL. Quin has experience as a free safety https://www.carolina...n-Miller-Jersey , therefore a team like Carolina should be interested in him. The wear and tear certainly is there, but the Panthers have made it work in the past with primarily strong safety type players at both positions. With a sub $5 million cap hit in 2018, his services could be had for around the same price... hopefully?George Iloka: Iloka is coming off an $880k contract with the Vikings, however he barely played in 2018. He likely enters free agency looking for a prove it deal to show he’s still got some mileage left. He’s more of a question mark than most who would be looking for a short term deal, but Carolina may be willing to pull the trigger to let him fight it out with Da’Norris Searcy and Rashaan Gaulden for playing time.Tre Boston: Boston again took a one year prove it deal in 2018 with the Cardinals, and didn’t really prove he deserves upper tier safety money. With a crowded safety market, he could be looking for another prove it deal with potentially more incentives. Could a return to Charlotte be in the cards?The surprisesAs much as I’ve personally advocated for Carolina to address the safety position, I’m not sure if they will sink significant capital into the opposite starter with some of the other names on the market. Adrian Amos Will Grier Jersey , Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, Tyrann Matthieu, and Adrian Phillips likely will receive higher offers that will look inflated compared to average safety contracts out there. That is the nature of free agency. However, there’s a chance Carolina structures a contract in the way they did for Bashaud Breeland in 2018 (before he failed his physical) which gives them significant cap flexibility over the span of the deal. I wouldn’t bet money on it myself, but addressing the safety position long term at least gives them the ability to really go after the front seven in the draft.My pickI think the Panthers will sign Eric Weddle. Ron Rivera knows how to use him, and as I’ve said he has experience in 3-4 and 4-3 defenses. Weddle can play both safety positions, and would be a fine addition opposite Eric Reid. The Panthers don’t really use a traditional strong and free safety, as their assignments generally change throughout the game. However https://www.carolina...g-Little-Jersey , with Weddle’s flexibility and experience he could be an excellent short term answer while the Panthers sift through the draft for a better one in the long term.Weddle showed he is still one of the better safeties in the NFL, and it would give Carolina time to develop Gaulden if they truly believe he is going to be a safety. The signing makes sense, though they’d have to make some cap moves to make it happen.stares at Torrey SmithWho would you like to see the Panthers sign, Panthers fans? The Carolina Panthers defense looked a little better for parts of Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers, but that’s not saying much. They’ve been among the worst units in the league over the last several weeks. Bill Barnwell of ESPN wrote about teams collapsing out of the playoff race, and he had several stats that illustrate that reality. There’s more to the Panthers than that. Those are just a few highlights on the defensive side of the ball. The group has been horrible, and it led to Ron Rivera shaking up the coaching staff on that side of the ball. The first test for this newly coached defense is a Cleveland Browns team coming off a brutal loss to the Houston Texans. They fell behind 23-0 in the first half while generating just 74 yards of offense while rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield turned the ball over three times. They piled up yardage and added a couple scores in the second half, but they were never close to being in the game. In the Browns previous three games Brian Burns Jersey , they averaged 386 yards of total offense and 28 points, both of which would rank seventh in the league if maintained for a full season. All of those games were against bad defenses, but the Panthers are a bad defense, so the comparison is apt. Rookies Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb are making waves, and that brings us to our keys. Keep Nick Chubb bottled up. The scintillating rookie has wowed with his big play ability this season, but he’s been rather inefficient outside of the big plays. Since taking over as the full time starter six games ago, Chubb has averaged over four yards per carry just twice. He’s still managed to find the end zone seven times over that stretch with one of those visits at the end of a 92 yard jaunt against the Falcons. The Panthers need to keep him contained and force him to grind out yards. Force Baker Mayfield into mistakes. Baker is having a fantastic rookie season. He’s averaged over nine yards per pass in each of his last three games and has tossed eight touchdowns in that time. He has all the makings of a future star. But he’s still a rookie. He threw three picks against the Texans last week and still has moments where he tries to make plays that aren’t there. Asking this defense to force a turnover may be asking too much, but we can try. Take away the underneath passes. The appointment of Freddie Kitchens to offensive coordinator has given new life to the Cleveland offense. He’s placed more of an emphasis on quick throws to keep his quarterback clean and make his decisions easier. Running backs Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson Jr. have hauled in 26 passes since Kitchens took over. Wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway and tight end David Njoku all have the ability to turn short passes into big gains as well. This Browns team is young and full of promise Ryan Kalil Color Rush Jersey , but they’re not good yet. The Panthers need to win this game, and they should win this game. With Ron Rivera now acting as the de facto defensive coordinator, it’s all on his shoulders now. Let’s see how the team responds.