Panthers' big FA signing looking ‘really, really fast’ to start OTAs
· Yahoo Sports
The Carolina Panthers could go one of two ways this season, depending on how a few dominoes fall. They'll either continue building on the progress we've seen the last two years or they'll fall behind again in a relatively weak NFC South race.
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On offense, the big question is if quarterback Bryce Young can take the next step forward in his development and start delivering more than 200 passing yards per game on a consistent basis. Defensively, the deciding factor may be how much Carolina's biggest free-agent signing pays off.
That would be outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips—who joined on a four-year, $120 million deal in March. The agreement has catapulted him to the top of the Panthers' edge rotation and he'll be coming in with some understandably high expectations.
Well, the good news is that Phillips is impressing at least one important observer early on at organized team activities. Here, via Darin Gantt of Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com, is what defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero had to say about Phillips on Wednesday . . .
"He's really, really fast," Evero told reporters. "There's not a lot of humans in the world that are that big, and that can move the way he does."
The Panthers have a long, proud history of disruptive speed rushers. They've now placed a huge bet that Phillips can continue that tradition and finally bring the pass rush up into respectable territory.
In addition to plus speed at his size, Phillips has another advantage—he played in a very similar system under Vic Fangio with the Miami Dolphins early in his career. That means his learning curve will be much shorter than the average free agent joining a new team.
Critics will point to the fact that Phillips' numbers have dropped off from a promising first couple of seasons in Miami, having posted just 5.0 sacks last season split between the Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles. The potential is there, though. Before his 2023 season ended early due to injury Phillips was on fire—with 6.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits and seven tackles for a loss in just eight games.
That's the kind of production that the Panthers will need from Phillips to justify his contract, no matter how good he may look in non-contact practices.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers OTAs: DC Ejiro Evero already impressed by OLB Jaelan Phillips