The Panthers have gotten a lot of acclaim for their moves in free agency this year. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is of course the crown jewel of the bunch, but there have also been a few high value signings thrown in. Together, defensive end Bruce Irvin and center Matt Paradis are only going to cost the team a total of $7.86 million in cap hits this season.
Perhaps the most underrated move Carolina made was signing former Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan to a one-year deal worth just $1.45 million. Hogan is not a superstar, but he does excel in one area that’s been a problem for Panthers receivers in recent years: getting open.
According to Next Gen Stats, Hogan led all NFL wide receivers last season with an average of 4.1 yards of separation. That was a full half-yard better than the next best wide receiver – Chester Rogers and Adam Humphries tied for second at 3.6 yards.
We will give you three guesses which player ranked last in the league in this stat, but chances are you’re only going to need one.
If you guessed former Panthers wideout Kelvin Benjamin, you’re right on the money. Benjamin came in dead last with an average of just 1.7 yards of separation.
