The Panthers have confirmed the signing of former Chargers offensive lineman Michael Schofield, which was first reported by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN on Thursday.
Schofield has several connections with his new team, including offensive line coach Pat Meyer and two other starting offensive linemen. Meyer was his position coach on the Chargers. Schofield also previously played with left tackle Russell Okung and center Matt Paradis when he was in Denver.
There’s no official word on what position Schofield will be playing for the Panthers, but our best guess is he will take Greg Van Roten’s place at left guard. John Miller is another possibility. However, he seems like a better fit replacing Trai Turner at right guard.
In any case, we now know who will start along the front line. The team’s best lineman is currently right tackle Taylor Moton, who deserves a contract extension. He rounds out the starting five.
In a corresponding move, the Panthers released running back Marcus Murphy. The recent signing of Minnesota’s Rodney Smith might have made him expendable. We’re predicting Smith will be third on the depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey and Reggie Bonnafon.
