Carolina Panthers

Tre Boston is Finally Home, Signs One Year Deal with Panthers

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After six practices at Wofford, Marty Hurney and the Panthers have decided to bring back safety Tre Boston on a one year contract worth $3 million in incentives. NFL insider, Adam Schefter, and Tre Boston himself announced the signing on Wednesday night via Twitter. This signing is a long time coming, as Boston and Carolina have kept in touch over the last two offseasons.

Earlier this year, Boston and Carolina tried to get something worked out, but it was reported that Boston wanted more money than Hurney wanted to give up. He was waiting on the right fit for the right contract. Now that it’s August and the first preseason game is on the horizon, Tre thought it would be best to sign with Carolina. Per Josina Anderson, Tre told her he chose Carolina because they are “a playoff team. The defense is missing one piece, so why not help my brothers out and finish what we started.”

Tre announces on Twitter that he has chosen Carolina.

This news hit Twitter around 10:30pm on Wednesday night and Panther Nation went nuts. It’s something that many fans have expected for months. Tre lives in Charlotte and still has ties to the Panthers in many capacities. He often visits Charlotte sports radio station WFNZ. He plays golf in Charlotte and invites fans around Charlotte to play. When Carolina returns to the field today at Wofford, Boston is expected to be there with them.

The defense with Boston at free safety is scary good. Prior to this signing, it was expected that Rashaan Gaulden would start at free safety. Gaulden, while making some plays in camp, wasn’t impressing at free safety. He did, however, make several plays at nickel corner. The signing of Boston signifies that Gaulden will like play big nickel, where he’s more comfortable. While Carolina will implement multiple defensive fronts and schemes, this is how their 3-4 unit will look:

SS Eric Reid

FS Tre Boston

CB James Bradberry

CB Donte Jackson

OLB Brian Burns/Bruce Irvin

OLB Mario Addison

ILB Luke Kuechly 

ILB Shaq Thompson

DE Kawann Short

DT Dontari Poe

DE Gerald McCoy 

On paper, this is possibly the best defense that the Panthers have ever had. At the very least, they have the most potential.

Boston, who just turned 27 in June, was a 4th round pick for Carolina in 2014 and was with the Panthers until 2017. In three years, he amassed 108 tackles, 10 pass deflections, 3 interceptions and 2 sacks. He was part of the 2015 Super Bowl team, where the secondary proclaimed themselves as “Thieves Avenue”. He has since played for the Los Angeles Chargers (2017) and the Arizona Cardinals (2018), where he amassed 158 tackles, 17 pass deflections and 8 interceptions. Since being released from Carolina in 2017, Tre has turned himself into a top 3 safety in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. This signing gives Carolina a much needed upgrade in the secondary, and gives them more ball hawking ability. Welcome home, Tre.

By: Norris Thornburg August 1, 2019

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #3

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#1. QB Cam Newton was held out of practice today as a part of a preplanned day of rest. Head Coach Ron Rivera said that there are zero issues or setbacks with the right shoulder of Newton.

#2. TE Greg Olsen C Matt Paradis OT Daryl Williams DE/LB Mario Addison and DE/LB Bruce Irvin sat out practice with a “Vet Day Off”.

#3. WR Torrey Smith and LB Jermaine Carter Jr. passed their physicals this morning and were taken off the PUP list. Both practiced for the 1st time today.

#4. DT Kyle Love DT Bijhon Jackson OT Dillon Gordon and LB Sione Teuhema all left practice early today due to heat related issues.

#5. CB Corn Elder switched from #35 back to #29. This was his number in college as a Miami Hurricane. He sees this as a way to get his “swag and mojo back”.

#6. Rookie QB Will Grier got all the reps with the 1st team offense today. QB Taylor Heinicke was 2nd and QB Kyle Allen was 3rd.

#7. During 1 on 1 pass rush drills the most excitement came from rookie LB/DE Brian Burns getting the best of LT Greg Little several times. Burns quickness is ELITE!! Also LB Marquis Haynes was simply abusing RT Taylor Moton. Haynes used a variety of moves to get free quickly.

#8. During 1 on 1 interior pass rush drills both DT Gerald McCoy and DT Vernon Butler Jr. both displayed powerful and violent bull rush and spin moves that was causing frustration throughout the period.

#9. During 1 on 1 WR vs. DB drills no one could keep up with WR Curtis Samuel. He had a beautiful deep ball bomb thrown to him in the end zone over CB Donte Jackson that was good for a TD. But on their next rep against each other Jackson made a very impressive pass deflection over Samuel.

#10. Team Drills Offense: Will Grier looked fairly solid for the most part throwing short, throwing intermediate and throwing deep. But offensive coordinator Norv Turner did let Grier know that he is staring down his receiver too much and that he is making predetermined reads instead of going through his progression. FB Alex Armah made some impressive plays both running and catching the ball. He ran a couple of defenders over. RB Cameron Artis-Payne showed incredible burst and change of direction to make a few runs of 8 yards or more. TEs Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz showed effectiveness together in multiple 2 TE sets. Both made several catches lined up in a 3 point stance and flexed out standing up. I can see the Panthers using more 3 TE personnel this season.

#11. Team Drills Defense: S Eric Reid was all over the field making plays. You can tell he really is comfortable with the playbook. His communication with other DBs helped others to be in position to make plays as well. CB Javien Elliott made it tough for all slot receivers to break free from his nickel CB position. DB coach Perry Fewell got fired up a few times raving about his play. LBs Shaq Thompson and Andre Smith were the hardest “thumpers” against the run game with various RBs. Both were very salty against runs up the middle. The chemistry between DT Dontari Poe, DT Gerald McCoy and DT Kawann Short is very strong when they are in together.

#12. I was able to count the defense being in a “30 front” 28 times and in a “40 front” 34 times. This hybrid mix can be disruptive when consistently executed. It was fun seeing players lining up differently from play to play. Saw quite a bit of pass rushers dropping into coverage at times. I also noticed some unique defensive personnel being used. I saw some 2 DL 4 LB 5 DB sets. Also some 3 DL 3 LB and 5 DB looks. I even noticed more dime personnel with 4 CBs and 2 Safeties. With Rivera now calling plays it is easy to see that he is ready to finally play “chess” on defense instead of just “checkers”.

#WhatARush #KeepPounding

Takeaways From Amazon Prime’s “All or Nothing”

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By: 4MR-Norris Thornburg July 26, 2019

By now, everyone has at least heard different talking points about “All or Nothing” and discussed it among friends. If you haven’t watched it, you need to. Yes, there’s gratuitous use of curse words, but that is life in competitive sports. It’s an amazing show that gives fans an in-depth look at the 2018 Panthers.

There are several things I learned while watching the series. Some things I already knew, and some I didn’t. The show is fun, intriguing, surprising, insightful and will have you hyped up and ready fo the season to start. From start to finish, it’s a must-see. Things I learned:

Cam is a Leader

It’s baffling that people still question Cam’s leadership. Cam constantly motivates his teammates to do better, no matter the situation. He leads by the way he plays. He seemingly puts the team on his back when they need him. The way he gets excited when other players make great plays is awesome. The way he plays through pain and doesn’t ever say anything is the sign of a leader. The way he accepted the coaches sitting him for the remainder of the season and getting excited for Heinicke was good to see. It was refreshing to actually see Cam in this light. Hopefully it’ll show fans of other teams, what Panther Nation already knew. Cam is a leader…..and it was well documented in this series.

Cam Loves Helping Others

Cam does so much for the community, but “All or Nothing” showed Cam walking through the streets of Charlotte handing out food to the homeless on Thanksgiving. He’s done that more times than have been reported, but having it on this series will show fans of other teams how Cam makes a difference within the community.

Ron Rivera is One Hell of a Coach

That speech during the Pittsburgh game had fans ready to go hit someone. Rivera is a player’s coach. He’s well respected within the locker room. He knows how to motivate his players. He knows his stuff. Side note: It was fun to see how Rivera called each player “kiddo” and showed how he thinks of these guys as his own. He truly cares about the players, as well as, the game. Seeing how Rivera never lost the locker room during the losing streak, is a testament on how good of a coach he really is. The Panthers are lucky to have him.

There’s a Reason Devin Funchess isn’t Here Anymore

Yes, Funchess was going through a lot with the death of his cousin and yes, everyone grieves differently. However, you never let it break you to the point that you get into an altercation with coaches. He’s a professional. He’s not supposed to let things hinder his playing ability. He showed that he still has some growing up to do. This might not be fair assessment, but it’s how he looked on the small screen. He had a lot of drops in key situations. Panthers thought it was best to let him walk to get a fresh start elsewhere.

Owner David Tepper is Great

Seeing David Tepper excited about the team and walking around shaking the hands of fans, was good to see. Seeing how passionate he is about the Panthers and how competitive he is, should make people pumped about the future of this franchise. Tepper is a fan of football. He yells and cheers for the Panthers like he’s been a fan of the team for 25 years. He knows the business side of the NFL. He realized the issues that faced the team from a business standpoint, and made necessary changes. He had a practice bubble built when he noticed that the Panthers had an unfair disadvantage in regards to practicing outdoors. He voiced his opinion about the team direction and mentioned that the success of the team is hinged on both the offensive and defensive lines. Having Tepper as an owner is an advantage to the Carolina Panthers.

Donte Jackson Has the Tools to Be Great

After watching the series, Jackson tweeted that the show didn’t portray him correctly, and that he wasn’t the only one that was tired of losing. The series didn’t exactly do Jackson wrong, but it showed how tough it is for rookies in the NFL. Jackson has the mental toughness, attitude and skill set to be really good, if not great, in this league. He made a few mistakes last season, but they were rookie mistakes. He was really good in most cases. The guy is going to be special. His pick-two against the Saints last year was one of my favorite plays of the year.

Efe Obada’s Story is Inspirational 

This was one of my favorite parts of the series. Born in Nigeria, Efe and his sister moved to the Netherlands and then were both trafficked to London at the age of 10. Once in London, Efe and his sister were left homeless. He slept on the streets and then went through 10 different foster homes. He eventually found American football in London and worked hard. Efe has said publicly that he used to hang around the wrong crowd, but once he found football, he straightened up. Great story about working hard and getting where you want to be. Bettering yourself through hard work is a story we can all relate to.

There could’ve been a number of takeaways from this series, but these were some of the bigger ones. No matter what you learned, one thing is for certain. This was an amazing look into the team, as you’ve never seen before. It’s just a shame that it was only eight episodes and an even bigger shame that the season didn’t end on a better note. No matter what, we will keep pounding! #4MR #WhatARush

 

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #1

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#1. OT Daryl Williams got all of the 1st team reps at LT. Head Coach Ron Rivera said that he will make rookie LT Greg Little earn his reps which is the right move.

#2. QB Cam Newton showed an accurate deep ball touch twice in 11 on 11 drills with a 40 yard pass to WR Curtis Samuel between two defenders who ran 20 more yards for a TD. His next deep ball went 45 yards down the right seam to TE Chris Manhertz who also split two defenders.

#3. DE/OLB Mario Addison was able to get quick pressure and tip up a pass by Newton which was caught in the air by LB Shaq Thompson and returned for a Pick 6.

#4. S Eric Reid got a great jump on a well thrown pass by Newton down the left seam about 20 yards to WR Jarius Wright to cause a pass deflection.

#5. CB Corn Elder, who was lined up at nickel CB, nearly picked off a ball intended for WR DJ Moore. He had it in his hands briefly before dropping it.

#6. CB Donte Jackson got the better of WR DJ Moore on an out route on the left sideline by getting a pass deflection.

#7. Rookie RB Jordan Scarlett consistently showed very good bursts running the ball and very solid hands catching the ball.

#8. RB Christian McCaffrey looks stronger and faster than he was last year. Clearly his offseason conditioning paid off very well.

#9. WRs Rashad Ross, Terry Godwin and DJ Moore all took turns returning punts tonight.

#10. During team drill of 11 on 11 there was a 30 front that had DT Kyle Love playing NT, DT Vernon Butler Jr. and Addison playing the 5 tech DE. Rookie Brian Burns and Bruce Irvin played OLB and Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson at ILB.

#11. DL Gerald McCoy took it upon himself to carry the helmets of several teammates including rookies after practice was over.

#12. Edge Defender Brian Burns elite “get off speed” from the line of scrimmage is as good as advertised. Several times he got low and under his blocker to get at the QB or RB.

#WhatARush #KeepPounding

Hurney’s Journey

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It’s 2012. Carolina fans are waving goodbye to General Manager Marty Hurney and everyone seems happy that he’s been fired. He handed out a lot of money to players that many fans felt weren’t worth it. He was a notoriously bad negotiator. He was good at drafting in the first round but missed on most players in the mid-late rounds. He made bad trades in the draft. (See Everette Brown and Armanti Edwards) He was far too loyal to the aging veterans instead of signing players that injected youth into the team. That gave fans ammunition to hate Marty Hurney.

Fast forward to 2017. Dave Gettleman gets fired as the Panthers’ General Manager on July 17th. Within a day, former Panthers owner, Jerry Richardson, hired Marty Hurney to be the interim General Manager. Some fans were livid, some fans shouted that Hurney is the one who drafted the core of the team. Carolina fans didn’t know how this would play out. Everyone was looking forward to seeing who the team would hire to be the full time GM. The first thing Hurney did was re-sign Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner to a four year deal that was worth $45 million. Fans were thinking that Hurney was up to his old tricks, even though Turner’s contract was cap friendly in 2017, worth only $3.9 million. In hindsight, a back loaded contract for a Pro Bowl guard seems to be a great deal.

The next thing Hurney did was correct a problem that Gettleman failed to address. Greg Olsen wanted to restructure his contract to make more money, since he had just completed the best three year stint of any tight end in league history, as he had three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. Hurney decided to add incentives to Olsen’s contract for the following year. Unfortunately, Olsen ended up getting hurt in 2017, didn’t make the extra money and Hurney looked like a genius.

As if that wasn’t enough, Hurney then re-signed linebacker Thomas Davis to a one year deal worth $6.7 million. That was thought to be a reasonably low contract for Davis, who was still playing like a Pro Bowler at age 34. To most fans, Hurney seemed to have learned how to negotiate contracts and was doing a solid job. There were still some fans, however, that were not sold. They thought Hurney shouldn’t have given contracts to the older players. Hurney wasn’t done…

On Halloween, just before the trade deadline, Hurney shocked Panther Nation by trading wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills for a third round pick and a seventh round pick. Benjamin had struggled with his weight in the offseason and came into camp overweight. During the season, his play was less than stellar. He averaged 59 yards per game in eight weeks. Panther fans started to see that Hurney meant business.

Some other notable player transactions during the 2017 offseason for Marty Hurney:

• G Greg Van Roten Signed

• DE Bryan Cox Signed (from practice squad)

• DE Efe Obada Signed

• CB Kevon Seymour Acquired via trade

• FB Alex Armah Signed (from practice squad)

• S Jairus Byrd Signed

Those aren’t splash free agent signings by any means, but they were solid signings for only having around $5 million in cap space. Carolina went 11-5 in 2017, prompting fans to say that Hurney learned from his mistakes. There were still fans that wanted interim General Manager Hurney gone, and wanted the team to hire a different GM.

On February 4, 2018, Marty Hurney was put on paid administrative leave for violating the league’s personal conduct rules, as his estranged wife made accusations against him. With no evidence that he did anything wrong, Hurney was reinstated by the team. Then, on February 21, 2018, Hurney was hired to be the full-time GM for the Panthers. Hurney was back where he belonged without an interim tag beside his name.

The 2018 offseason was fairly successful on paper, as Hurney had a little more cap space to sign core guys at positions of need. He added a little more space by releasing the running back he drafted, Jonathan Stewart, who is Carolina’s all time rushing leader. That was a tough decision, but that was just the start for Marty. Then, with the wide receiver position being in question, Hurney decided to trade for speedy veteran Torrey Smith, whose $5 million contract was somewhat low for a deep threat. Smith’s contract was also intriguing because there was no guaranteed money involved, so Carolina could cut ties if needed and they’d owe him nothing. Next on Hurney’s agenda was to address the defensive line. Hurney gave future Hall-of-Famer Julius Peppers a contract extension, so that Peppers could retire as a Panther. Hurney then signed Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dontari Poe to a three year contract worth $28 million. This was considered a relatively big free agent signing, since Poe was statistically better than Star Lotulelei, who Hurney let walk in free agency.

Hurney went on to make more low-key signings that looked to be solid. Wide receiver Jarius Wright, who was dubbed “Mr. Third Down” in Minnesota, signed with Carolina. Former Viking offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, had something to do with that. Hurney then signed strong safety Da’Norris Searcy to a two year contract. That signing looked to be solid, since Searcy was a starting caliber safety. He lost his job in Tennessee, but Hurney thought the change of scenery would help him. That same day, Hurney signed cornerback Ross Cockrell to a two year deal. This was significant because Carolina needed a corner to pair with starter James Bradberry and Cockrell was the number one zone corner in the league in 2017. This was an under the radar signing that could have a major impact. Hurney ended the month of March by signing guard Jeremiah Sirles to compete for the left guard spot, which was left vacant when Hurney let Andrew Norwell walk.

Other notable pre-draft transactions:

• P Michael Palardy Contract Extension

• C Tyler Larsen Contract Extension

• QB Tyler Heineke Claimed off waivers

• TE Greg Olsen Contract Extension

On April 26th, Hurney had his first draft during his second stint with the Panthers. Carolina had the 24th pick and the consensus pick from the fans was cornerback Mike Hughes. Carolina spent the most time with Hughes throughout the pre-draft process, which is why almost everyone thought that’s who they’d pick. During the draft, Hurney watched the best wide receivers, Calvin Ridley and DJ Moore, fall. Neither were on Hurney’s realistic draft board because he didn’t think either one would be there. When pick 24 came up, Hurney all but jumped to the phone to select DJ Moore, who was the best route runner and best at getting yards after the catch. Panther Nation couldn’t have been happier. Neither could Norv Turner.

Other 2018 Carolina draftees:

• Round 2- CB Donte Jackson 

(Check out the 4our Man Rush’s Film Room Episode of Jackson here)

• Round 3- S Rashaan Gaulden

(Check out the 4our Man Rush Film Room Episode of Gaulden here)

• Round 4a- TE Ian Thomas

• Round 4b- DE Marquis Haynes

• Round 5- LB Jermaine Carter

• Round 7a- LB Andre Smith

• Round 7B- DT Kendrick Norton

It’s hard to grade a draft in one year, but this class seemed to address a lot of needs. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, Hurney wasn’t done upgrading the offense. On May 7th, Carolina signed Pro Bowl running back CJ Anderson to a one year deal. This signing looked to be solid, since Anderson was a bruising back that could compliment Christian McCaffrey’s finesse running style. Panther fans rejoiced at the thought of Anderson joining the team. Over the next couple of months, Hurney made more small free agent signings to round out the roster, which is what all General Managers do.

After a string of injuries to nearly every position, Hurney made arguably the most impactful signing of his career. On September 27th, Carolina signed Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid to a one year contract. This signing was brought on by the injury to Da’Norris Searcy. The Reid signing wasn’t received well by a lot of fans due to Reid’s protest during the national anthem. Reid was, and still is, protesting racial injustices amongst the black community. Most teams shied away from Reid due to the media circus that would likely follow him. However, Hurney jumped at the chance to sign Reid because he was the best available safety. On paper, this Panthers team looked to be at least a 12 win team. As things in the NFL go, the season didn’t go as expected.

The 2018 season started and it looked promising after winning six out of eight games, even with all the injuries that were mounting up. Then, Pittsburgh happened. Cam Newton was injured during the game after a hit by TJ Watt, and the season crumbled. Carolina was viewed as a playoff caliber team. Now, they looked like a dumpster fire. To make matters worse, they released CJ Anderson, which made them the laughing stock of the NFL, after he did so well for the Rams. To close out the season, Carolina lost seven of their next eight games, and Panther Nation was again let down. It wasn’t really Hurney’s fault, but he felt as if he had let the team down. Hurney had a pretty successful offseason, but it wouldn’t hold a candle to what he would do in 2019.

In January, Hurney did something that was very hard for him. After a 14 year stint with the Panthers, Thomas Davis was told that he isn’t being re-signed. This was a hard pill to swallow for Panther Nation, as Davis has been the embodiment of the Carolina mantra Keep Pounding. This did, however, show fans that Hurney isn’t afraid to make those decisions anymore. He wasn’t going to sign a guy based purely on loyalty. That’s how a GM should be. This wouldn’t be his only veteran cut in 2019.

That same week, Hurney re-signed two role players, Efe Obada and Chris Manhertz. Obada was fairly effective in rotation at defensive end, and Manhertz is a good blocking tight end who was a part of one of the best plays of 2018. Then, in February, Hurney signed safety Eric Reid to a three year contract worth a little under $8 million per year. Hurney wanted to get a contract done before free agency started because he felt that Reid could get more money than he could offer. Again, Hurney made a tough decision by releasing Captain Munnerlyn in February, since his play didn’t match his salary. This move created $2 million in cap space for Carolina, and Hurney knew how to utilize that money.

In March, after re-signing a few of their own players, Hurney set his sights on free agency. After Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil retired, Hurney knew the team needed to replace him with someone that had experience. Yes, they had scouted a few centers in the pre-draft process, but Hurney was about to make a move that would surprise fans. On March 14th, the start of free agency, Carolina signed the top free agent center, Matt Paradis, to a three year deal. Fans, and Cam Newton, couldn’t have been happier. Paradis was ranked as the second best center in the league two out of the last three years, according to Pro Football Focus. Fans were already starting to feel the Hurn.

That same day, Hurney pulled off another big move. All Pro guard Daryl Williams was written off by most fans, as being gone due to his free agent status. Everyone thought he’d command at least $10 million per year in salary, which would’ve been good enough to garner us a third round compensatory pick in 2020. However, Hurney surprised fans when he signed Williams to a one year deal worth $6 million. The Panthers are serious about protecting Cam, and they proved it with this signing.

Next on Hurney’s agenda was to create some more cap room. Carolina released injured left tackle, Matt Kalil, and designated him as a post June 1st cut. That means they wouldn’t get that money until June. The Matt Kalil release would give Carolina an additional $7.5 million in cap space. Kalil wasn’t as bad as some fans thought he was, but he also wasn’t the answer at left tackle. The general thought now was, Carolina would likely move Taylor Moton to left tackle and put Daryl Williams back on the right side. Moton did well on the left in limited action earlier in the season.

A week after signing Paradis and Williams, Hurney shocked everyone again. This time it was on the defensive side of the ball. He signed linebacker Bruce Irvin to a one year contract. This was a big signing, since fans were concerned about the lack of pass rush in 2018. In 2018, Irvin played for both Oakland and Atlanta. His stats were decent, as he had 6.5 sacks combined. His tackle count was somewhat low, but that’s due to him playing 23% of the defensive snaps for both teams. Hurney knew that Irvin can still be productive if given more reps. Irvin will also serve as a mentor to the younger pass rushers that Carolina could potentially draft or sign.

After claiming tackle Dillon Gordon off waivers from Kansas City and signing a few more camp body players, Hurney turned his attention to players from the, now debunked, Alliance of American Football (AAF). Carolina signed six players from the AAF pre-draft, to get players with experience to round out the bottom of the roster. One player in particular, wide receiver and return man Rashad Ross, stood out as a player that has a real shot at making the team. Ross played in eight games with the Arizona Hotshots and had 583 receiving yards and a league-high seven touchdowns. Ross could make the Panthers 53 man roster based on his experience as a return man. Ross is a speedy receiver, as he was clocked at 4.26 while running the 40 yard dash in the pre-draft process years ago.

As if Carolina didn’t have enough players in the wide receiver room, Hurney brought former Patriot Chris Hogan in for a visit. Hurney signed Hogan to a one year deal, adding more veteran experience to the team. Hogan has been fairly productive over the last couple seasons and has won two Super Bowls with the Patriots. It’s worth noting that, since 2016, Hogan ranks second in post-season receiving yardage with 542 yards. He’s also tied for first in post-season receiving touchdowns with four. This is another under the radar signing by Hurney, that could be a key to their success.

Other notable transactions:

• DT Kyle Love Signed

• RB Cameron Artis-Payne Signed

• S Colin Jones Signed

Throughout this entire process, Hurney, the scouting department and the entire Panthers’ front office had been scouting and visiting with potential draft picks. Fans knew that there were still some positions that needed to be addressed, mainly left tackle and pass rusher. With the talk of Carolina’s defense becoming a more hybrid style and using a lot of 3-4 looks (For a thorough breakdown of Carolina’s new defense by the 4our Man Rush, click here), some fans were sold that either DE/OLB Montez Sweat or DE/OLB Brian Burns would be the pick in the first round, if available. The other half of the fan base wanted a left tackle. This split Panther Nation right down the middle.

On draft night, it couldn’t have went any better for Marty Hurney. All of the players that Hurney coveted were there at pick 16. Hurney took arguably the best player in Brian Burns. Burns is a player that has the potential to turn this defense around and be a cornerstone for years to come. According to Hurney, Burns was at the top of their draft board and they were shocked he was there. Burns’ skillset fits well in the Panthers’ revamped defense. (Learn more about Burns and the other 2019 draft picks here) Check out the 4our Man Rush’s Film Room Episode about Brian Burns here.

Hurney had also been looking at offensive tackles in the pre-draft process. One of which, he highly coveted. On day one, Hurney was on the phone but couldn’t make a trade. Day two started with Hurney on the phone yet again. He was trying to trade up for Greg Little, an offensive tackle from Ole Miss. As fate would have it, the Seattle Seahawks were looking to trade down from pick 37. They had a number of trade partners, but they picked Carolina. Carolina chose left tackle Greg Little, a guy who they had pondered drafting at pick 16. The Panthers offensive line was immediately upgraded. Hurney was on cloud nine.

Other 2019 Carolina draftees:

Round 3- QB Will Grier

Round 4- DE/OLB Christian Miller

(Check out the 4our Man Rush’s Film Room Episode on Miller here)

Round 5- RB Jordan Scarlett

Round 6- OT Dennis Daley

Round 7- WR Terry Godwin

On paper, this could very well be Marty Hurney’s best ever draft. Obviously it’s too early to know, since they haven’t taken a snap yet. This could also be Hurney’s best offseason. His moves had been very precise up to this point, and he balanced his attention to all three phases of the team.

As if Carolina didn’t have enough wide receivers already, Hurney signed former Viking Aldrick Robinson. Robinson isn’t an elite receiver, but in 2018 he had a knack for finding the end zone. Robinson only had 17 catches for the year, but 5 of them were touchdowns. Robinson is another speedster that can stretch the field and get behind defenses in a hurry. Another solid role player with potential had been signed by Marty Hurney. The pieces for success are in place and Panther fans can’t wait until training camp to get a look at the 2019 team. Little did Panther Nation know, this team was about to get a whole lot better.

Before the 2019 NFL draft, Panthers linebacker, Luke Kuechly, restructured his contract, which freed up $7.24 million in cap space. Fans immediately thought that Hurney did this to sign safety Tre Boston, since the thought was that they didn’t have anyone good to play along side Eric Reid. Carolina did try to sign Boston, but it didn’t work out. Around the same time, news broke out of Tampa, Florida that six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Gerald McCoy, was on the trade block. New Buccaneers head coach, Bruce Arians, didn’t commit to keeping McCoy during an interview and the rumors started to fly. The media pegged the Cleveland Browns as a potential trade partner for McCoy, but nothing ever came of it. On May 20th, the Bucs announced that they had released Gerald McCoy, which saved them around $13 million in cap space. McCoy came out and said that he wanted to play for a contender, and again, the Cleveland Browns were the first team everyone thought of due to their enormous salary cap number. McCoy did indeed visit Cleveland, but left without a deal. At this point, Carolina fans didn’t even think it was possible to get McCoy, but everyone wanted him. Next, McCoy visited Baltimore for two days.

Everyone thought that it was between those two teams until Ian Rappoport reported that a third was interested in McCoy. It was the Carolina Panthers. Panthers’ fans were in disbelief that Hurney was on the verge of possibly getting a top five defensive tackle. Many fans still didn’t think it was possible. McCoy left Baltimore without a contract and he was on his way to Charlotte to meet with the Panthers’ brass. In the days leading up to the McCoy meeting, Marty Hurney convinced wide receiver, Torrey Smith, to take a $2 million pay cut, to help add funds to the cap in case McCoy wanted to sign. McCoy came in for a visit on Thursday and stayed until Friday. He stated that he was going to think about it over the weekend. On Monday, it was announced that McCoy had chosen the Panthers as his next team. Panther Nation went crazy. Marty Hurney had pulled off the unthinkable. He had signed another top tier defensive tackle to pair with KK Short. McCoy can play inside and outside on the defensive line, and has been one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the NFL over the last six seasons. He’s the only defensive tackle that has produced 6 sacks ever year for the past six years. Having McCoy and Short together with Dontari Poe at nose tackle in the 3-4 looks could be the most dominant front that the Panthers have ever had. Carolina now has the front seven of Short, Poe, McCoy, Addison, Thompson, Kuechly and Irvin/Burns. All hail Marty Hurney! Make sure to check out the 4our Man Rush’s Film Room Episode of Gerald McCoy here to learn more.

So Marty Hurney showed Panther Nation that he, along with the rest of the front office, is in win-now mode. Carolina has the potential to have their best ever defense (barring injury). Marty Hurney had a plan in place and exceeded his own expectations. Time will tell if these moves will translate in wins, but it looks to be dominating on paper. To recap, this offseason, Marty Hurney:

• Re-signed S Eric Reid

• Signed C Matt Paradis

• Re-signed OT Daryl Williams

• Signed DE/OLB Bruce Irvin

• Signed WR Chris Hogan

• Re-signed DT Kyle Love

• Drafted DE/OLB Brian Burns, LT Greg Little, QB Will Grier and DE/OLB Christian Miller in the first four rounds

• Restructured Luke Kuechly’s contract to gain cap space

• Convinced Torrey Smith to take a pay cut for added funds

• Signed WR Aldrick Robinson

• Signed DT Gerald McCoy

**EDIT- After a few months of courtship, Hurney has signed safety, Tre Boston, to solidify the secondary. Huge news! Even more to be hyped about.**

How can anyone not be hyped at the pieces that Marty Hurney has put in place since his return? In the last three months, Marty Hurney has possibly put together the single greatest off-season of his career. This is a 180 degree turn from how he was viewed prior to his termination in 2012. What say you, Panther Nation? Are you feeling the Hurn?!?! Hopefully this team will bring a Lombardi trophy home to the Carolinas. Make sure you check out the 4our Man Rush’s weekly podcast for all the Panthers info you need. Also, check out the 4our Man Rush’s YouTube channel for Film Reviews and breakdowns of everything Panthers related. #KeepPounding #4MR #WhatARush

The Curious Case of Daryl Williams

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There’s been a lot of discussions on whether or not the Panthers would re-sign their All Pro Right Tackle Daryl Williams. As of now, all signs point to Carolina letting Williams walk. I know this won’t sit well with a portion of our readers, but I’m here to make you feel at ease about it. Or, at least, I’m going to try.

Compensatory Pick

I’ll start with some info that most fans care about. If Carolina let’s Williams walk, Daryl will be the top Offensive Lineman on the free agency market. All-Pro Right Tackles don’t often become available, so he will command big money. That will only help Carolina’s comp pick status. According to my source, who is the compensatory pick expert with Over The Cap, if Williams signs a contract with an average salary of between 8-9.9 million dollars per year, Carolina will net a fourth round comp pick. If he signs a contract worth an average of 10 million dollars or more, we will net a third round comp pick. Obviously, there are other variables such as playing time with a new team and additions of free agents. Daryl could sign a contract that will average more than $10 million, so a third round comp pick is what we’d get as long as we don’t sign a player that is equal to Daryl’s stature.

Injury Concerns 

On July 28, 2018 during training camp, Williams was carted off the field after injuring his knee. It was later learned that he tore his Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) and dislocated his right knee cap. He was ready for week 1 against the Cowboys, where he started, but re-injured his knee in the 4th Quarter. On September 12, Daryl was placed on Injured Reserve.

Now, this doesn’t mean he’s injury prone. It just means we don’t know how his injury will affect his knee going forward. We can’t afford to pay a guy top free agent money and not know how healthy he will be. After all, we paid Matt Kalil too much money during free agency. Now look at where we are. I digress. In my humble opinion, we have too many holes on the roster to spend that much money on a player with possible injury concerns. A lower body injury for an offensive lineman could be disastrous.

The Moton Effect

As we all know, Taylor Moton filled in quite nicely at Right Tackle for the Panthers in 2018. In fact, he actually played better than Williams during his All-Pro season.

In 2018, Moton started 15 games at RT and allowed 29 QB pressures. Conversely, Williams allowed 39 QB pressures in 16 starts at RT in 2017, which was his All-Pro year. Wait, there’s more! During Williams’ All-Pro year, he needed help blocking from the Tight Ends on 19.7% of his snaps. That was 7th worst in the NFL among Offensive Tackles. In 2018, Moton rarely needed the Tight Ends for help. I’d hate to move Moton from RT after finding this information.

Salary Cap Troubles

The Panthers have around $15.6 million of cap space as of now. With so many holes on this roster and only 7 draft picks, we can’t afford to pay Daryl top money. Yes, we could cut some players to gain more space, but that would create more holes and it wouldn’t save much. Backloading a contract would only cause cap issues next year and beyond. I just don’t think it makes financial sense to pay Daryl the money he will command when we have so many vacancies on the roster.

Draft Options

This year’s NFL Draft is loaded with a lot of good Offensive Linemen talent. I believe Carolina will likely go Defensive End in the first round, but we will definitely come out of the top three rounds with at least one Offensive Lineman. If Carolina does go OL in round one, we could have a choice between Cody Ford, Jonah Williams, Greg Little, Andre Dillard and Jawaan Taylor. If we opt to go OL on day two, like I believe we will, we could get Tytus Howard, Yodny Cajuste, Dalton Risner, David Edwards or Isaiah Prince. Why pay Williams top dollar when we can get a rookie for cheaper? 

I believe Carolina will let Kalil start at Left Tackle (unless he’s released) while grooming our rookie, whoever that may be. Hopefully, this article will ease your minds if we don’t re-sign Daryl Williams. All in all, I trust Marty Hurney. If we do re-sign Williams, it’ll be as a swing tackle, at best.