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Contract News

Rush Review: Who Are These New Guys?

Contract News

When the Carolina Panthers announced their 53-man roster on this past
Saturday by the 4:00 pm EST deadline, many fans were mostly pleased with
the players that made the team.  However, there were some surprise cuts
made 24 hours later; and a trio of mostly unknown players claimed off the
waiver wire were now added to the roster. Needless to say, this lead to some
head-scratching reactions throughout the Panthers Nation. Let’s investigate
what happened and the reasons why general manager Marty Hurney made
these decisions.

Who was released and why: Twitter accounts by Carolina Panthers related
sources flooded the newsfeed with the news that the team had released WR
Torrey Smith, RB Elijah Holyfield and CB Kevon Seymour. Each one of the
players had fans divided in opinions all summer long over if they should be on
the final roster or not.

Smith was looking to bounce back as a reliable deep threat in the Panthers
offense from an injury filled 2018 season. Hurney said the decision to cut
Smith was “…very difficult because he is a classy guy and a proven leader on
the team on and off the field.” He also said that the team wanted players at the
5th and 6th receiver to be able to contribute on all four phases on special
teams. This was not something that Smith could not provide in his 9th season.
His release had zero impact on the salary cap because his 2019 salary of $3M
was not guaranteed.

Holyfield was an undrafted rookie RB from University of Georgia that became
quickly popular with fans as the longshot player to be backup to RB Christian
McCaffrey. When the roster was announced that RBs Jordan Scarlett and
Reggie Bonnafon also made the team, it was puzzling why the position was
four players deep. Despite his 2 TD performance at Chicago and a few nice
plays here and there, it was clear to see his best efforts could justify keeping a
roster spot at a loaded position.

Seymour spent a large part of training camp and preseason missing from a
hamstring injury. He had already missed the entire 2018 season with both
shoulders injured. Despite having a very strong performance in the final

preseason game vs. Pittsburgh it was not strong enough to lock in a place in
the defensive backfield.

Who was signed and why:  When it was announced that the Panthers claimed
DB Natrell Jamerson and WRs Brandon Zylstra and Ray-Ray McCloud off
waivers, it sent a vast majority of Panthers fans scrambling to find out who
they are and what they can do.

Jamerson is a 5-11, 201 lb. defensive back who played for the University of
Wisconsin from 2014 – 2017. After playing as a WR his freshman year, he
switched to playing CB his sophomore and junior season seasons and then
switched to playing safety his senior year. That year, he had 32 tackles (61
career), 3.5 tackles for loss (5.0 career), 1.5 sacks, 2 INTs with 1 returned for a
TD and 10 pass deflections (14 career).  He also showed kickoff return
abilities with 38 returns for 784 yards with a 20.6 yards per return and 1 TD
return.  He was the defensive MVP in the 2018 East-West Shrine Game. During
the 2018 NFL combine he ran a 4.4 time in the 40-yard dash, 25 bench reps,
35.5 inches vertical jump and a 10 foot broad jump. His draft profile stated his
strengths were: speed, football IQ, solid tackler, man coverage skills and
special teams. The weaknesses are covering big receivers and hesitant at
times when tackling downfield. The New Orleans Saints drafted him 5th round
in the 2018 Draft but waived him on the final roster cutdown. He was
immediately picked up off waiver by the Houston Texans and played in 10
games, which yielded seven tackles and one pass deflection. In December
2018, he was waived but was quickly picked up by the Green Bay Packers in
which during his time there only made three tackles. He was waived this past
Saturday.

Zylstra is 6-2 and 220 lb. wide receiver who played at Concordia College in
Moorhead, MN from 2013 – 2016. In 29 games, he had 120 catches for 1932
receiving yards with 16.1 yards per catch along 18 TD catches. He was also
one of the top track and field athletes at the school who broke records. He
went to North Dakota State’s Pro Day in 2016.  He had a 4.6 time in the 40-
yard dash, 1.64 seconds in the 10-yard split, 2.75 seconds in the 20 yard split,
7.19 time in the three cone drill, 34 inches in the vertical jump, 10 ft 8 in broad
jump and 16 bench reps. After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, he
signed a two-year contract with the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL.  In the
2017 season, he led the league in receiving with 1687 yards. This led to

getting a 3 year rookie contract with the Minnesota Vikings in January 2018.
He played on all 4 special teams’ units in 16 games last season. He was waived
this past Saturday.

McCloud is 5-10 and 190 lb. wide receiver and punt returner who played at
Clemson University from 2015 – 2017. In 39 games, he had 127 catches for
1226 receiving yards with 9.7 yards per catch along with 4 TD catches. He also
had 18 carries for 106 rushing yards with 5.9 yards per carry. He also
returned 25 punts for 303 yards with 1 TD returned.  After his junior season
he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft. At the combine, he ran a 4.53 time in the
40-yard dash, 13 bench reps, 34.5 inches vertical jump and 9 ft 5 in broad
jump. The Buffalo Bills drafted him in the 6th round.

Summary: Hurney said that Jamerson will play both CB and safety on defense
along with all four special teams including gunner on the punt team. Zylstra is
also being brought in to play all the special teams’ units along with being an
option as a possession receiver. McCloud is going to get a legitimate shot to be
the returner on both punts and kickoffs and can be used as a slot wide
receiver as well.

Filed Under: Contract News Tagged With: Brandon Zylstra, Carolina Panthers, Elijah Holyfield, Kevon Seymour, Marty Hurney, Natrell Jamerson, Ray-Ray McCloud, Torrey Smith

Tre Boston is Finally Home, Signs One Year Deal with Panthers

Contract News, Prime Cuts with Norris

 

After six practices at Wofford, Marty Hurney and the Panthers have decided to bring back safety Tre Boston on a one year contract worth $3 million in incentives. NFL insider, Adam Schefter, and Tre Boston himself announced the signing on Wednesday night via Twitter. This signing is a long time coming, as Boston and Carolina have kept in touch over the last two offseasons.

Earlier this year, Boston and Carolina tried to get something worked out, but it was reported that Boston wanted more money than Hurney wanted to give up. He was waiting on the right fit for the right contract. Now that it’s August and the first preseason game is on the horizon, Tre thought it would be best to sign with Carolina. Per Josina Anderson, Tre told her he chose Carolina because they are “a playoff team. The defense is missing one piece, so why not help my brothers out and finish what we started.”

Tre announces on Twitter that he has chosen Carolina.

This news hit Twitter around 10:30pm on Wednesday night and Panther Nation went nuts. It’s something that many fans have expected for months. Tre lives in Charlotte and still has ties to the Panthers in many capacities. He often visits Charlotte sports radio station WFNZ. He plays golf in Charlotte and invites fans around Charlotte to play. When Carolina returns to the field today at Wofford, Boston is expected to be there with them.

The defense with Boston at free safety is scary good. Prior to this signing, it was expected that Rashaan Gaulden would start at free safety. Gaulden, while making some plays in camp, wasn’t impressing at free safety. He did, however, make several plays at nickel corner. The signing of Boston signifies that Gaulden will like play big nickel, where he’s more comfortable. While Carolina will implement multiple defensive fronts and schemes, this is how their 3-4 unit will look:

SS Eric Reid

FS Tre Boston

CB James Bradberry

CB Donte Jackson

OLB Brian Burns/Bruce Irvin

OLB Mario Addison

ILB Luke Kuechly 

ILB Shaq Thompson

DE Kawann Short

DT Dontari Poe

DE Gerald McCoy 

On paper, this is possibly the best defense that the Panthers have ever had. At the very least, they have the most potential.

Boston, who just turned 27 in June, was a 4th round pick for Carolina in 2014 and was with the Panthers until 2017. In three years, he amassed 108 tackles, 10 pass deflections, 3 interceptions and 2 sacks. He was part of the 2015 Super Bowl team, where the secondary proclaimed themselves as “Thieves Avenue”. He has since played for the Los Angeles Chargers (2017) and the Arizona Cardinals (2018), where he amassed 158 tackles, 17 pass deflections and 8 interceptions. Since being released from Carolina in 2017, Tre has turned himself into a top 3 safety in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. This signing gives Carolina a much needed upgrade in the secondary, and gives them more ball hawking ability. Welcome home, Tre.

By: Norris Thornburg August 1, 2019

Filed Under: Contract News, Prime Cuts with Norris Tagged With: Carolina Panthers, Tre Boston

Former Panther Ryan Kalil Signs with the Jets, but Why the Hate?

Contract News, Prime Cuts with Norris

Center Ryan Kalil announced his retirement in 2018, prompting general manager, Marty Hurney, to find his long term replacement. Hurney signed top free agent center, Matt Paradis, to a three year deal. In a stunning development, Kalil signed with the New York Jets on a one year deal Thursday afternoon. The Jets’ twitter account announced the signing. Kalil reversed his retirement papers and decided that $8.4 million was enough to come back into the league. The question is, why is there so much hate?

Jets announce the signing of Kalil

In 12 seasons, Kalil gave his all for the Panthers organization, and quite frankly it’s shocking to see so many people talk bad about him on social media. He is a five time Pro Bowl player and two time First-Team All Pro. He poured his heart out and left everything on the field for so long in Carolina. It’s not like Carolina needed him now. The Panthers wouldn’t have paid Kalil that much money to come back. Carolina has already invested a lot of money in Matt Paradis, who is a really good player in his own right. It’s puzzling why fans are throwing shade at a man who decided to provide for his family for one last season.

2018 was Kalil’s last season, but money talks. According to reports, conversations between Kalil and the Jets have been going on for a month. Finally, Adam Gase convinced Ryan to come out of retirement to block for Sam Darnold, who went to Kalil’s Alma Mater, USC. After long negotiations, Kalil had 8.4 million reasons to come out of retirement. Panthers fans shouldn’t blame the guy. If a team is willing to throw that much money at you, I’m sure anyone would take it. It’s not like Kalil requested a trade. It’s time to give Kalil a break. No man would turn down that money. Both Carolina and Kalil are better off. Carolina gets a young star center for three years and Kalil is going to make bank elsewhere. Kalil staying in Carolina on a one year loan wouldn’t have helped the team. Had Carolina paid him to stay, they’d be without a top center next season.

The signing also prompted other prominent media members to call Kalil out. One person tweeted “I’d take $8.4 million for a half season too”, which was an obvious dig at Kalil’s injury history prior to last season. Is Panther Nation not better than this? It’s not like Kalil ever talked trash about the Panthers and remained salty for years (like a certain former Panthers running back). He never had any off the field issues. He didn’t have domestic violence issues, like some players. He never got into an altercation with coaches or teammates. He didn’t go to a division rival. He didn’t even go to a team that Carolina plays this year. So I ask again….Why the hate? For 12 years, he literally gave his blood, sweat and tears for Carolina. Let’s get rid of the negativity and be happy for Ryan. As a former Panther who demands respect, he’s earned it.

To go along with this positive message, I’m going to help you get to know Ryan on a more personal level. Here are a few little known facts about him:

Kalil is of Lebanese and Mexican descent.

He comes from a football pedigree, as his father played for the Buffalo Bills (drafted in 1982) and had a short stint in the USFL.

His mom won Miss California in 1981.

His wife, Natalie, is a former cheerleader for USC.

Ryan and Natalie have two daughters.

Ryan co-owns a movie production studio with Detroit Pistons star, Blake Griffin. The LA based company is called Mortal Media.

Kalil has been interested in the film industry since he was a child. He made several claymation films during his childhood.

Kalil and fellow USC Alumnus, Will Ferrell, made a football training spoof for the NFL Network.

For Ryan, this is a new chapter. As fans, we tend to get caught up in our teams. Sometimes, we should think about the player and look at things through their eyes. Let’s be happy for the guy. He was the cornerstone of Carolina’s offensive line for 12 years. Being able to make that much money and provide for your family for one more year is a blessing. People are allowed a change of heart. I’m not telling Panther Nation what to do, but I’m choosing to wish Kalil the best. He deserves happiness, as we all do….and he has more than 8.4 million reasons to be happy. #KeepPounding

By:Norris Thornburg August 1, 2019

Filed Under: Contract News, Prime Cuts with Norris

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