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Things are looking up for a Carolina Panthers rookie. The team also has several hidden gems on its squad. Also, here is one perfect Panthers’ move to fill out the roster before the team’s 2025 training camp.
The Panthers will open their training camp at Bank of America Stadium when it brings in the rookies on July 21. The veterans will report on July 22.
And the position improvement that could lift the Panthers to a more comfortable level is at safety.
Panthers should sign safety Justin Simmons
The Panthers' defense looked awful in 2024. They must improve dramatically to be competitive this season, and adding a veteran like Simmons on the back end would help a lot.
It’s an idea that has traction, according to cbssports.com.
“The Panthers spent much of free agency addressing their defense, including by adding safety Tre'von Moehrig on a $51 million deal,” Cody Benjamin wrote. “Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is a noted product of the Vic Fangio coaching tree, however, deploying a similar coverage scheme as the one Simmons enjoyed during his best days with the Broncos. It's not hard to envision Simmons, who grew up on the East Coast, slotting in as a readymade partner for Moehrig.”
Of course, other teams are in the mix for Simmons. And it might be hard for him to turn down the Chiefs if they offered. Simmons said he would have to think long and hard about it, according to the Up & Adams Show via Sports Illustrated.
“My heart is torn, because I've always been so publicly against Kansas City,” Simmons said. “And it's because they're a really good team. I just want to beat them. It's just ingrained in me to beat them. Am I closing [that door]? No. But I want to be [on a team] that beats them.
“Like I said, I'm not closing the door. I’m not that incompetent to think if Kansas City wanted me to come through, I wouldn't. But I just want to beat them. I want to be [on a team] that beats them.”
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Matt Bowen said Simmons could work with other teams, too, according to espn.com.
“Cincinnati and Carolina would also work here, but Simmons fits really well as an interchangeable safety opposite Antoine Winfield Jr. in Todd Bowles' defense,” Bowen wrote. “The Bucs played the most zone coverage in the league last season (71.7% of the time), and Simmons can spin to the post or walk down in Cover 3. He's an excellent communicator with field awareness. Simmons has picked off 32 passes over his nine-year career, including two last season.”
But the Panthers are in the mix. Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he wants better commitment from his defense, according to panthers.com.
“Stop the run,” he said. “A commitment to it, chasing the ball. That needs to go way up, the effort and the style of play.
“I was not satisfied with the style of our defensive football first and foremost. So that is just about effort, strain, and attempts on the ball, so we have to step that up. I'll always be pushing the envelope on that weekly, but that's something that came off the film. That's why we addressed some of those positions in free agency and are excited about adding guys in the draft as well that can, first and foremost, put people into more passing situations and then more pass rush. Whether it's from blitzes or whether it's from rotation.”
The current defensive backfield map has Tre’von Moehring and Nick Scott starting at the safety positions. Michael Jackson and Jaycee Horn man the cornerback spots. On second string defense are Lathan Ransom and Demani Richardson at the safety positions. Isaac Gifford, Jack Henderson, and Trevian Thomas are also in the mix at safety.
The Panthers selected Ransom in the fourth round as their only secondary pick of the draft. It’s possible he could step into a key role. But whether that is enough to attack NFL offenses remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure. The Panthers need better play at all levels from their defensive unit. Canales likely won't remain as the team's head coach if the Panthers don't make strides in the win column in 2025. That's a lot of pressure because the Panthers simply weren't competitive last season.
