Eli Apple hasn't had a seamless start to his career in the NFL, but he's hoping that will change with the Carolina Panthers. Despite the rough patches to begin his career, Carolina is ‘anxious' to insert Apple into their secondary in 2020.
In an interview with Joseph Person of The Athletic, Marty Hurney — the GM of the Panthers — expressed his excitement for the addition of Apple:
“He’s a young, talented corner, and he’s got a very good skill set. I know we’re anxious to get him here in the mix. He’s played in the league for four years. He can run. He’s a very fluid athlete. He’s got the skill set, and we’re anxious to work with him.”
Just this past season, Apple had a rough campaign with the New Orleans Saints before moving to the Panthers. While he started in 15 games, the former first-round pick contributed 58 tackles and just four pass breakups.
Prior to joining the Saints via trade in 2018, Apple began his career with the New York Giants. As a matter of fact, he was taken with the No. 10 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. But after two and a half seasons in New York, the Giants traded him to New Orleans.
Therefore, Carolina's excitement in signing Apple is purely based on his potential rather than his performance thus far in his career. Regardless of how he's performed in previous seasons, the Panthers signed Apple to a one-year, $3 million deal last month.
Throughout the offseason, Carolina has lost James Bradberry, Ross Cockrell, and Javien Elliott at the cornerback position. Provided that, Apple could easily find himself having a prominent role with the Panthers in 2020.
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