The Greatest Free Agency Heist in NFL History: Panthers Poised to Steal Back Key Starter from Commanders
There’s a lot of positions where the Carolina Panthers need help this offseason. On offense they need more weapons at wide receiver and tight end. On defense they need help on the interior and the edge, plus linebacker depth and adding another capable corner wouldn’t hurt, either.
All that being said the single greatest position need is arguably at safety, where the Panthers should be looking to replace two of their 2024 starters as Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller both bombed this season. The 2025 draft class is a good place to look for replacements, but there’s also an intriguing free agent that’s worth pursuing.
Last offseason Carolina made some questionable decisions, especially in regards to allowing certain defensive free agents to leave and sign with other teams. One of them was safety Jeremy Chinn, who joined the Washington Commanders and has gone on to blossom under head coach Dan Quinn.
Originally a second-round draft pick by Carolina in 2020, Chinn is coming off his best year as a pro since 2021 and will once again be a free agent in a few weeks. At least one analyst believes the Panthers should try to bring him back. Here’s the case from David Latham at Last Word on Sports.
LWOS on Panthers re-signing Jeremy Chinn
“While Brian Burns was the biggest departure, the Panthers also lost Jeremy Chinn and Frankie Luvu to the Washington Commanders. These three, combined with the Week 1 injury to Derrik Brown proved too much to overcome for this overwhelmed unit. Chinn alone cannot save this defense, but he can provide some much-needed stability to the safety position. Even after his strong season, he shouldn’t break the bank and prevent Carolina from going after a top pass rusher or cornerback.”
Chinn admittedly had some bumps in the road in 2022 and 2023 but this year he’s delivered on the potential that he showed early in his career with Carolina. Re-signing Chinn to a mid-range, two-year sort of contract would instantly plug one of the Panthers’ biggest roster holes without having to expend a great deal of resources.
