According to a report by Mark Daniels at the Providence Journal, the Carolina Panthers are one of three teams in talks with free agent defensive lineman Allen Bailey. He’s also in discussions with the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. Bailey was a third-round pick by Kansas City in the 2011 NFL draft. Since then, he’s played in 102 career regular season games. Bailey has totaled 19.5 sacks, 34 tackles for a loss and 33 quarterback hits during that time.
Last season was arguably Bailey’s best rushing the passer since coming into the league. He had a career-high six sacks and 10 QB hits.
However, for what it’s worth Bailey (6-foot-3, 288 pounds) didn’t grade out well at Pro Football Focus, who gave him an “average” rating and ranked him at No. 91 among all defensive linemen. He’s also 32 years old.
Bailey played mostly as a 3-4 defensive end for the Chiefs last season, so it’s possible the Panthers have the same role in mind as they transition to more 3-4 and hybrid sets.
