Panthers Expected to Sign Da'Norris Searcy

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After the release of veteran Kurt Coleman, the Panthers with the current roster were entering the 2018 season with a 38-year-old strong safety, Mike Adams, and Colin Jones. Now I know you all are going to point out that Colin Jones filled in adequately for Kurt Coleman last season and his PFF grades suggest that he is better than given credit for. I fully disagree. We all agree that the writing is on the wall for Mike Adams, but Colin Jones isn't an answer for any team beyond a special teams player and second-string defensive player. Apologies to Jones, but it is the truth. The team was dying for Coleman's return last season and the few games where Jones performed well shouldn't shade his track-record for the last several years.

According to Ian Rappaport, Carolina is currently working on signing Da'Norris Searcy, former Tennessee Titan and Buffalo Bill, to help bolster that defensive backfield. Searcy signed a substantial contract with Tennessee in 2015, after thriving in a Buffalo Bills defense that was churning out top-end safeties year after year. Searcy would have been a nice fit in Carolina at the time, who opted to sign Kurt Coleman and tried to squeeze out every drop of sauce from Roman Harper. 

Searcy never lived up to the full billing for reasons that aren't fully apparent. Tennesse paid him, but seemingly never invested in him beyond his first season with the team. The following year, the Titans signed Jonathan Cyprien. The highly talented and higher profiled player indicated that Searcy wasn't part of the long-term plan for Tennessee's secondary. What is confusing is that Searcy's play never seemed to be a central part of Tennessee's lack of success. 

Carolina has been a waypoint for discarded safeties in search of a renaissance. Perhaps Searcy, a former UNC Tarheel, will find that renaissance much like Roman Harper, Mike Mitchell, and Kurt Coleman did. 

By Tony Dunn
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