According to a report by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, the Panthers are signing former Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman. He was the top off-ball linebacker that hit the market with the Bucs keeping Lavonte David.
Perryman does a bit of everything, defensively. Since the Chargers picked him in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft, Perryman has played 69 games, totaling 250 solo tackles (26 for a loss), five sacks, eight QB hits, three interceptions and six pass breakups.
The best trait Perryman offers is plus coverage for a linebacker. Over the last three seasons, he’s only allowed three touchdowns as the nearest defender.
The financial details haven’t been reported, but fans should be pleased with Perryman coming in. He’s a big upgrade over Tahir Whitehead or Jermaine Carter as a starting middle linebacker. We had Perryman ranked as the No. 7 best defensive free agent in this class based on how much they’d help the team, first among linebackers.
