Jaelan Phillips was brought aboard on a four-year deal to help fix the quarterback pressure issues that have plagued the franchise over the last couple of seasons. Luke Fortner was signed to replace Cade Mays after he agreed to a three-year deal with the Detroit Lions. Stone Forsythe and Rasheed Walker represent the questions that remain about the status of starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu.
John Metchie III is fighting for a spot in the wide receiver room. AJ Dillon is fighting for a spot in the running back room. It’s safe to say the biggest offseason acquisition they made was someone else, however: Height: 6' 3"Weight: 235lbsAge: 27Contract: 3yr, $45M2025: 15 G, 81 TKL, 6.0 TFL, 1.5 SK, 5 INT Lloyd didn’t get more money than Phillips, isn’t playing at a premium position like Forsythe and Walker, and won’t be battling like Dillon or Metchie, but he could be the most productive player at his position in all of football.
The Panthers are going to put a ton on the plate of Lloyd, not only because he’ll be in the middle of the defense but because he will be leading an inexperienced group that saw plenty of turnover this past offseason. Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus are battling for the inside linebacker spot alongside Lloyd, with the former being the incumbent and the latter making a push after years of making his name on special teams. It’s not exactly Luke Kuechly playing alongside Thomas Davis, now is it?
If they’re going to put the green dot on the new guy, which is the plan as of publication, he’ll be not only doing it for the first time but also in a new system and with subpar talent around him – so success is not an option, but expected.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
