Vonn Bell Signing Gives Panthers Flexibility with Jeremy Chinn
On the first day of the legal tampering period, the Carolina Panthers agreed to terms on a three-year, $22.5 million deal with veteran safety, Vonn Bell.
No, signing a safety isn't the sexiest move a team can make but for the Panthers, it's one that needed to happen. Jeremy Chinn and Xavier Woods formed a nice tandem in the back end of the defense a year ago, but because of the lack of options at safety, Chinn wasn't able to move around nearly as much.
Pairing up Bell (strong) with Woods (free) gives Carolina a pair of veteran safeties that can man down the back end, allowing defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to have free rein in using Chinn in multiple roles, particularly in the box. GM Scott Fitterer sort of hinted at a move like this happening earlier this offseason when running down through the teams' needs, stating that adding another safety or athleticism at linebacker would be beneficial. They were able to do just that with one move.
This means we'll see Chinn used in similar ways to what he did as a rookie, lining up in the box, at slot corner, free safety, and even off the edge, making him the quintessential Swiss Army Knife on defense. He has too much speed, athleticism, and play-making ability to be playing full-time in the back end. He'll have a much greater impact playing closer to the line of scrimmage and because of the veteran presence behind him, he'll be able to play more freely and take more of an aggressive approach which could be troublesome for opposing offenses.
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