The Panthers are expected to move Jeremy Chinn to safety this season

The Panthers are expected to move Jeremy Chinn to safety for the 2021 season, according to multiple reports. Matt Rhule all but confirmed it during his post-practice comments yesterday.

“Obviously he would be a big safety, and he would be able to cover tight ends,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said, via Steve Reed of the Associated Press. “He can go fit the run, too. It’s rare to have a guy that big, with that size and that intelligence level. He’s one of those guys that can fill a lot of different roles for us.”

Chinn played linebacker during his standout rookie season last year, but at 220 pounds he is on the small side for the position. Moving him to safety seems like the logical choice when you factor in the Panthers’ lack of depth in the secondary, and while it’s likely the move will be made it’s not set in stone according to Steve Reed of the Associated Press:

Panthers coach Matt Rhule said the decision is contingent upon Chinn’s comfort level at the position when he gets to training camp. Chinn is currently returning from offseason cleanup surgery on his knee, so the Panthers are keeping him out of all contact work until the summer as a precautionary measure.

If history is any indicator, Chinn should be comfortable playing safety. He was a safety in college and played limited snaps in the role last year as he moved around in Phil Snow’s defense. (Side note: He’ll probably do some of that this year too by playing snaps at linebacker in certain situations.)

Chinn is up for the challenge of moving to safety, telling Reed “I’m comfortable playing safety, and I’m comfortable playing any position, so wherever I’m needed I will play.”