The Panthers have a tough decision with regards to longtime Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson. Johnson’s play has slowly declined to the point where he barely registers in the stat book in spite of the fact he started eleven games last season. The Panthers have Johnson under contract for one more season for approximately $3.1 million. I think they would be better served to use that money to secure a younger player with some upside.
Here’s a look at Johnson’s career stats and those from the 2017 season. You can see his performance was dismal at best. When you add in the four game suspension for a PEDs violation it might be time to cut bait with Johnson. Don’t feel bad for him. ‘Big Money’ has made a ton of money in football and will have a very nice retirement.
Charles Johnson
2017 Season (12 games): 16 total tackles, 0 sacks, 1 pass defensed
Career: 321 total tackles, 67.5 sacks, 25 passes defensed 19 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries
So the Panthers in my view are looking for a starter at defensive end. I say this assuming the Panthers will bring back Julius Peppers. Peppers will return to his pass rushing role he had before Johnson’s suspension last season forced Peppers into the line up.
The problem with trying to find a replacement is that there are not many proven pass rushers on the market this offseason. The top two, Ziggy Ansah and Demarcus Lawrence will command top dollar and will most likely stay with their current teams. That only leaves Adrian Clayborn as the only free agent who had more than ten sacks in 2017. I course I would love to see Clayborn leave Atlanta no matter where he goes.
Maybe the answer is on the roster? In that case we would need either Wes Horton or second year players Daeshon Hall or Bryan Cox Jr. to step up. I don’t see the Panthers rolling the dice in that regard with a position as important as defensive end. So I fully expect them to bring in a free agent. Here’s a couple I like.
Adrian Clayborn
With a ten sack season Clayborn will be looking for a raise. The Panthers could see value here anyway and go for it.
Adrian Clayborn Contract Details, Salary Cap Breakdowns, Salaries, Bonuses | Spotrac
Adrian Clayborn signed a two year, $8,500,000 contract with the Atlanta Falcons, including a $2,500,000 signing bonus, $2,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $4,250,000.
Tank Carradine
The 49ers appear intent on trying to keep Carradine but he’s not going to be a starter and therefore I predict he will look elsewhere for a starting gig. Of course that is what the Panthers are offering. The price should be right as Carradine has less than impressive stats. So the Panthers would need to be sold on Carradine making the switch from 3-4 to 4-3 defensive end. I’m not sure he’s fit for the role, unless it is more of first or second down run stopping role. Still he might worth a roll of the dice. The rice should be right:
Cornellius Carradine Contract Details, Salary Cap Breakdowns, Salaries, Bonuses | Spotrac
Contract terms: 1 year/$2,650,000
Signing bonus: $1,250,000
Average salary: $2,650,000
Guaranteed at signing: $1,250,000
Total guaranteed: $2,250,000
Free agent: 2018 (UFA)
Some young, cheaper options even less proven that I like are:
Marcus Smith (25) - Smith logged three sacks in a part time role in Seattle.
DeQuan Jones (26) - Jones put up four sacks as a part timer for the Titans. Like Carradine though Jones it more of a defensive tackle in a 4-3 so not sure he could lose enough weight to play 4-3 defensive end.
What are your thoughts Panthers fans?