The Carolina Panthers have signed defensive tackle Dontari Poe to a three-year deal, worth between $9 million and $10 million annually.
Ian Rapoport broke the news on the mean streets of Twitter.
The #Panthers are signing former #Falcons DT Dontari Poe to a 3-year deal, source said, worth between $9M and $10M per year. Big signing for Carolina.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2018
A former-first round NFL Draft selection by the Kansas City Chiefs, Poe spent last season as a member of the Atlanta Falcons.
Poe has been selected to the Pro Bowl two times in his career (2013 and 2014), and is only 27 years old. Some folks might feel concerned since this will be the defensive tackle's third team since joining the league, lending credence to the idea he's on the downturn. However, Poe has remained a consistently good — to sometimes great — player since arriving in the league.
As a fun, but relevant aside: Not only does Poe have a few rushing touchdowns in his resume, on Christmas Day in 2015, Poe became the largest member of the human species, that also played in the NFL, to ever throw a touchdown pass.
The defensive tackle, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft for the sake of clarity, spent his first five seasons with the Chiefs. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, he has 15.5 career sacks, 240 tackles and two forced fumbles.
Last season, as hinted at with his history of scoring offensive touchdowns, the Falcons actually had an offensive package called the Poe Line Package, which featured the big man playing running back (among other positions on the field).
Anyway, Poe's career numbers don't look impressive, but he's a space-eating type of defensive tackle, who should open up chances for linebackers to get through the line of scrimmage clean. He'll help fill the significant void left by Star Lotulelei, who signed with the Buffalo Bills earlier this week, in the Panthers' defensive front.
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