Panthers free-agent report card: Evaluating Wonnum, Chaisson, and Fuller’s signings
As the Carolina Panthers get ready for life without Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu, they have begun to move on.
Two pass rushers, D.J. Wonnum and K’Lavon Chaisson, were recruited by general manager Dan Morgan late last week, and those two defenders will be expected to fill the sack void left by the team’s two most significant offseason departures.
Jordan Fuller, a former safety for the Los Angeles Rams, was also recruited by the organization on a one-year contract.
Let’s rate those movements in our second free agency report card:
Wonnum, Chase Young, and Jadeveon Clowney were asked by the Panthers to visit last week. Wonnum agreed to a two-year contract with the Panthers immediately, even though all three of them had scheduled future visits.
After one week of free agency, the former South Carolina pass rusher is now, by default, the top pass rusher on the depth chart. Although Clowney or Young might still sign with Carolina, Wonnum is currently at the top of a very uncomfortable totem pole.
Wonnum’s contribution is a clever one in a vacuum. Wonnum still has physical and developmental potential at the young age of 26. Additionally, he has starting experience, namely at outside linebacker, and his production in terms of sacks on heavy snaps (23 in four seasons) is respectable.
The company seems to have approached free agency with a very particular approach. Either players off rookie contracts are being signed by the organization, or players under 30 with coaching staff experience are being added. Carolina is adopting a long-term strategy by pursuing young veterans who either have space for improvement or have knowledge of their ideology or system, as opposed to seeking established but sinking talent.
As a 2020 fourth-round selection fresh off his rookie NFL contract, Wonnum finds himself in the first bucket. Wonnum had a full-time role in Brian Flores’ 3-4 front last season, starting 14 games and recording 8 sacks, which is the same amount as Burns. Wonnum does not participate in the Pro Bowl and does not share the same
planet as Burns in terms of skill, but he does possess a strong combination of experience and unrealized potential, which is reason for some excitement.
