Entering the 2019 offseason, the Panthers had three glaring needs – offensive line, defensive line and safety. By signing Matt Paradis and Bruce Irvin in free agency and bringing back Daryl Williams and Eric Reid, they’ve at least begun to address these needs, but there is still a hole in the Panthers secondary where a free safety should be – while the Panthers were able to make do with Mike Adams playing the deep middle, his coverage went downhill last season and the Panthers were one of only seven teams to allow more than 6.8 yards per pass in 2018.
The current pair of Searcy and Reid are both more suited as box safeties – find out more about what the difference is here – and while the Panthers wouldn’t be in absolute dire straits if they entered camp with those two as the starters with Rashaan Gaulden, who Rivera mentioned would get a look at the nickelback position this summer, and Colin Jones behind them, that wouldn’t be ideal. The Panthers signed Searcy with the idea that he would start next to a free safety like Adams – but with Adams gone and Reid re-signed to a three-year deal, there isn’t a lot of room left for Searcy.
And that’s without mentioning the $1.76m cap relief they would get if they released the safety that missed almost the entire 2018 season with a concussion.
While the Panthers may look to the draft to find their answer at free safety – there are certainly some good options – there are still some options available in free agency, and while the average price for a safety may have gone up since last season’s depressed market, players signed in April, May & June can make for some great value. The Panthers don’t have much cap room, but they’ll get some relief on June 2nd from Matt Kalil’s release, and all of these players may still be available then – 15 safeties have already been signed in free agency by other teams this offseason.
Tre Boston
Photo Credit: Streeter Leecka/Getty Images
Boston has already spent time with Carolina – and seems to consistently be linked to the Panthers; after spending his first three seasons with Carolina before being released by Dave Gettleman during the 2017 offseason three months before the GM would be relieved of his duties, the 27-year old Boston has improved in his two seasons with the Chargers and Cardinals and has spoken of a reunion this offseason.
While many fans have clamored for Eric Berry, Boston’s numbers last year in Arizona – 79 tackles, nine passes defended and three interceptions in 13 starts – match up favorably with Berry’s last healthy season in 2016 where the 30-year old Berry, who has missed significant time the past two seasons, had 77 tackles, nine passes defended and four interceptions. While Berry’s impact was certainly larger in Kansas City – there’s a reason why he was an All-Pro for two consecutive seasons – Boston is younger and doesn’t have the injury history that Berry carries.
Boston signed a one-year, $1.5m deal last season in Arizona on July 25th.
Darian Stewart
Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports
Once a key cog of the Broncos’ ‘no-fly zone’, the 30-year old Stewart was released last month by the Broncos in a decision that appeared driven by salary constraints – the former undrafted free agent from the University of South Carolina totaled 250 tackles, nine interceptions and 24 passes defensed over the past four seasons in Denver where he started 58 of the last 61 games and was a force to be reckoned with during the 2015 playoffs. Stewart has the ability to play both safety slots and in a defense that values position flexibility, he’d be a nice fit; the only question is what kind of price tag he would require.
Stewart was released two years into a four-year, $28m extension.
Other Names to Consider: Morgan Burnett, Marcus Gilchrist, Glover Quin
