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Striking a deal with one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL in Kawann Short has been a priority for Carolina and they have finally locked that in according to sources.
Read MorePost-UFA signings and pre-draft days make for a long, roughly six-week wait, and every possible scenario gets discussed ad nauseum to the point where we fans just want the dadgum draft to happen already!
Read MoreHere’s what Carolina has done defensively through the first two days of free agency and the 2017 season. It’s exciting to see just what it could look like.
Read MoreAs free agency approaches, Panthers fans are wondering just how Dave Gettleman will work to address team needs this offseason. Gettleman has stated, in the past, that he uses free agency to set up the draft. He’s also been a perennial cheapskate in free agency. To be fair, Gettleman hasn’t had
Read MoreToday, February 15th, marks the first day teams are able to start designating their franchise ag on players who could become free agents. For the Panthers and Kawann Short, it's a road they have been trying to avoid, but may end up crossing before the teams deadline of March 1st.
Short led the Panthers pass rush during the 15-1 Super Bowl year with a break out season of 11 sacks. After a slow start in 2016 he finished strong and was ranked the fourth best defensive tackle in the league (87.7) by Pro Football Focus. He finished 2016 with 30 total tackles, 25 assisted, and six sacks. Comparable enough to his breakout 36 tackle, 19 assisted, 11 sack campaign in 2015.
Many fans feared Short may be the next Dave Gettleman finance victim and that he could walk, mainly after drafting defensive tackle Vernon Butler in the first round of the 2016 draft. But a recent statement by Rivera during Super Bowl week that said otherwise.
"Obviously, we'll probably have to tag him,'' Rivera said. "But if we do, so be it. If not, I think they can get a deal done and I'm pretty optimistic about that because KK is a big part of what we do."
Rivera continued later, "Again, we believe up front is the most important part of your team. You've got to be able to stop the run, rush the passer, and I think KK is one of those guys who has that kind of ability."
The estimated tag for Short at defensive tackle is $13.5 million. Short was believed to be seeking around the $17 million range compared to Philadelphia Eagles Fletcher Cox.
When asked at the end of the season about his situation turning out like Josh Norman's last off season, Short was to quick to end it.
"Me and Josh are two different people," Short said. "We walk two totally different sides of the street, at two totally different places, in two totally different directions."
Short was quick to say he would like to avoid the tag, but would obviously still be a professional about the situation.
With Rivera's comments, fans can probably expect to see Short get tagged sooner rather than closer to March 1st.
Written By Tripp Morgan-Follow Him On Twitter @TrippMorgan6
Article Thumbnail Photo by Jesse Fraetis Photography
We all know the Carolina Panthers are off to another patented slow Ron Rivera start, exacerbated by injuries to vulnerable positions like cornerback and offensive tackle, while the "scheme" hasn't seemed to change and coaches & players haven't adjusted to their new strengths...nor have they covered their weaknesses very well.
Read MoreI was simply thinking about Kawann Short and his contract situation and the leverage Dave Gettleman drafted in Vernon Butler as well as wondering why he wouldn't have gone with Derrick Henry there perhaps instead. Perhaps it came to me.
Read MoreFletcher Cox’s 6-year/102m deal by the Philadelphia Eagles has only fanned the storyline of Kawann Short’s desire for a contract extension from Carolina. The story was hot anyway as Short was entering the final year of his rookie contract after an 11 sack season. When Carolina abruptly parted ways with Josh Norman, it seemed as if the added cap space was going to be used to sign Short to a long-term deal.
Read MoreI must say that I wasn't 100% surprised when Carolina Panthers General Manager Dave Gettleman rescinded the franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman.
I was only 95% surprised.
Now, as a fan, I (and indeed, all of you as well) have to consider what Gettleman's track record is. He has been Carolina's GM for four years (or is it five?) but the point being that he already has earned a rather miserly reputation. A few things stick out:
Read MoreWe all know what this man is capable of on the field. 11 sacks. 36 total tackles. 16 games started. So why is there no massive 6-year, $100 million contract in his lap right now? We know it's not because of the way he performs. But what could be at risk if we don't see him sign a contract extension prior to our Week 1 matchup at Mile-High?
Read MoreNews just broke that Fletcher Cox has reached an agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Read MoreKawann Short, Carolina’s star defensive tackle, is entering the last year of his rookie contract. He is currently slated to make only $1.4 million. As we all have heard, he skipped
Read MoreSince the Super Bowl Fifty fiasco and the NFL's deck stacked against them with Peyton Manning's "storybook" career winding down, the NFL wanted a nice, neat bow tied around the half-century mark of Super Bowl history, and a few key "missed calls" *AHEM* certainly helped the Broncos accomplish that feat. However, it's still a fact that the Panthers' offense never could get untracked as they went up against a defense that was every bit as good as their own.
Read MoreThe Panther’s have an embarrassment of riches in several areas of their defense, the defensive line being no exception. Our starting defensive lineman can stack up to almost any group in the league; however, it’s our depth that sets us apart. Though there is enough talent to make this list nearly twenty deep, I’ll keep it short enough to include the starters and key reserves.
Read MoreThe Carolina Panthers should have a stifling defense once again this year, so when I began to think about positions that might be a bit shaky this season, I was surprised to acknowledge that four of those six are on the defensive side of the ball!
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