Panthers: 3 free agents who can alter 2021 NFL Draft plans
Chidobe Awuzie, CB
I can count on one hand the amount of good corners the Panthers have had the last ten years. It starts and ends with Josh Norman. Chidobe Awuzie was more or less forced out of Dallas with the rise of Diggs, and the fact one way or another they need to keep Dak Prescott and continue to pay offensive line, and their elite young line backer. Carolina was torched in the secondary last year.
In 2020 the Panthers allowed over 250 yards in all but one game. One. They allowed over 325 yards in all, but four games. How many times did they allow 400 yards you ask? The answer is four, including one complete annihilation by Tampa Bay who threw for 544 yards.
The need for Carolina to fix their secondary is real, very real. Awuzie is a solid above-average zone cover corner. In 2020 Awuzie had 31 tackles, one interception, and allowed 25 catches on just shy of 40 targets. I think this could easily be adjusted into better numbers, given the fact the defense last year for Dallas as a whole as a coaching disaster.
The NFC South teams in Saints, Buccaneers, and Falcons boast some of the best receiving threats in the league. That list also includes tight ends, and running backs. Getting Awuzie should not be extremely difficult as their are several other corners in the market who will command more money. Getting him on a cheaper one to two year deal should not be difficult.
Next. Nail’s top-ten interior offensive line rankings. dark
Getting Awuzie will also help them stay young, not break the bank, and he can be a big time get if he continues to improve on what he has done. This move will certainly adjust the draft. Getting Awuzie maybe won’t take Patrick Surtain II or Caleb Farley out of the first pick though entirely. This move will adjust the thinking, if they can net a high-end safety in the second round this could shut down one half of the field on an extremely low cap hit.