There’s definitely a lot of work to be done for the Carolina Panthers to become better next season. Among the many needs they must address is getting a talented defensive tackle, like Indianapolis Colts’ Grover Stewart, when free agency starts.
Last season, the Panthers started with a six-game losing streak, the first time this happened since 1988. The team didn’t really perform well after snapping that streak, leading the front office to fire head Frank Reich and replace him with Chris Tabor in an interim manner.
That decision didn’t change anything at all, as the Panthers finished the regular season with an abysmal 2-15 record. This was the worst record in the NFL last season, leading Carolina to get six picks in the upcoming draft.
Unfortunately, the Panthers don’t have any first-round picks after trading them all away in 2023 to go up in that year’s draft. But apart from that option, Carolina can rely on free agency to help the team improve next season.
The Main Reason Why Grover Stewart Should Be Signed By The Carolina Panthers In Free Agency
Among the names Carolina must consider is the Colts’ Grover Stewart, who comes with a projected $30 million contract in free agency. Aaron Schatz explained more in his article for ESPN:
“The Panthers need a lot of things this offseason, but let’s start with how they ranked last in run defense DVOA last season. They could address that problem with a big interior defensive lineman like Stewart. Last season, he served a six-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Without Stewart, the Colts had a run defense DVOA of 10%, which would have been the worst in the league for the entire season. In the other 11 games, the Colts had a run defense DVOA of minus-12%, which would have been 13th. He also takes on a lot of double-teams, which would help Carolina’s pass-rushers to get to the quarterback,” Schatz wrote.
Getting Stewart to join the team will help boost their 29th-ranked defense to a much better place. In turn, the team can get stops on the field, which would improve their chances of stringing more wins.
Whether Carolina ends up signing Stewart at his projected value or not will be known in the coming days. In any case, it’d be a huge win for the Panthers to land the defensive tackle for next season.
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