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Marty Hurney

College Prospect Visit List

College Prospect Visits, NFL Draft, Prime Cuts with Norris


Here is a list of college prospects with whom we’ve met. We will add more as we get more info. Each player has their Draft Network Profile attached to their name, if available. Just click on their name and it’ll take you to their page. At the bottom of the page, I will post the local visits and the 30 private visits. Teams are allowed 30 private visits. Local visit means that we have met with a player that either goes to school locally or they were born locally. Local visits are not counted against the 30 private visits.
Due to COVID-19, all private visits have been canceled. Teams will be allowed to have video conferences with players of interest. I will update the list as the information comes in, so check back often! Enjoy!! #KeepPounding #4MR #WhatARush

 

QUARTERBACKS

James Morgan – FIU

6’4  213 lbs

Justin Herbert – Oregon

6’6  227 lbs

Jacob Knipp – Northern Colorado

6’4  218 lbs

Ben DeNucci – James Madison

6’3  209 lbs

Tommy Stevens – Mississippi State

6’5  235 lbs

 

RUNNING BACKS

Reggie Corbin – Illinois

5’10  201 lbs

Eno Benjamin – Arizona St.

5’10  201 lbs

Sewo Olonilua – TCU

6’3  240 lbs

Benjamin Lemay– Charlotte

5’9  216 lbs

Rodney Smith – Minnesota

5’11  210 lbs

Darrynton Evans – Appalachian State

5’11  185 lbs


WIDE RECEIVERS

Chris Finke – Notre Dame

5’10  184 lbs

Diondre Overton – Clemson

6’4  210 lbs

Quintez Cephus – Wisconsin

6’1  207 lbs

Jerry Jeudy – Alabama

6’1  192 lbs

TIGHT ENDS

Ben Ellefson – North Dakota St.

6’3  250 lbs

Harrison Bryant – FAU

6’5  240 lbs

Giovanni Ricci – Western Michigan

6’3  240 lbs

Nigel Kilby – Southern Illinois

6’8  254 lbs

Cam Sutton – Fresno State

6’6  226 lbs

Josiah Deguara – Cincinnati

6’3  245 lbs

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

Jon Runyan – Michigan

6’5  321 lbs

Matt Womack –Alabama

6’7  325 lbs

Yasir Durant – Missouri

6’7  330 lbs

Cameron Clark – Charlotte

6’5  295 lbs

OFFENSIVE GUARDS

Kevin Dotson – Louisiana

6’4  321 lbs


CENTERS

Cesar Ruiz – Michigan

6’4  320 lbs

Matt Hennessy – Temple

6’4  302 lbs

Keith Ismael – San Diego State

6’3  300 lbs

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Kendall Coleman – Syracuse

6’3  253 lbs

Austin Edwards – Ferris St.

6’5  280 lbs

Michael Danna – Central Michigan

6’2  250 lbs

Alton Robinson – Syracuse

6’4  260 lbs

Josh Uche – Michigan

6’2  250 lbs

James Smith-Williams – NC State

6’3  265 lbs

Jonathan Greenard – Florida

6’4  262 lbs

Kenny Willekes – Michigan State

6’4  252 lbs

Alex Highsmith – Charlotte

6’4  242 lbs

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Bravvion Roy – Baylor

6’1  333 lbs

Javon Kinlaw – South Carolina

6’6  310 lbs

Neville Gallimore – Oklahoma

6’2  301 lbs

Derrick Brown – Auburn

6’5  318 lbs

Ross Blacklock – TCU

6’4  305 lbs

LINEBACKERS

Shaquille Quarterman – Miami

6’1  241 lbs

Mykal Walker – Fresno St.

6’3  230 lbs

Justin Strnad – Wake Forest

6’3  235 lbs

Francis Bernard – Utah

6’1  230 lbs

Casey Toohill – Stanford

6’4  250 lbs

CORNERBACKS

Keith Washington II – West Virginia

6’1  181 lbs

Stantley Thomas-Oliver III – FIU

6’2  183 lbs

Nevelle Clark – UCF

6’1  187 lbs

Amik Robertson – Louisiana Tech

5’9  172 lbs

Chris Williamson – Minnesota

5’11  191 lbs

Levonta Taylor – Florida State

5’10  190 lbs

Isaiah Rodgers – Massachusetts

5’10  170 lbs

Josiah Scott – Michigan State

5’9  185 lbs

SAFETIES

KICKERS

Rodrigo Blankenship – Georgia

6’1  192 lbs

PUNTERS

LOCAL VISITS

30 PRIVATE VISITS

 

 

 

Filed Under: College Prospect Visits, NFL Draft, Prime Cuts with Norris Tagged With: Carolina Panthers, College Prospect Visits, Marty Hurney, Matt Rhule

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

Hurney’s Journey

Prime Cuts with Norris

It’s 2012. Carolina fans are waving goodbye to General Manager Marty Hurney and everyone seems happy that he’s been fired. He handed out a lot of money to players that many fans felt weren’t worth it. He was a notoriously bad negotiator. He was good at drafting in the first round but missed on most players in the mid-late rounds. He made bad trades in the draft. (See Everette Brown and Armanti Edwards) He was far too loyal to the aging veterans instead of signing players that injected youth into the team. That gave fans ammunition to hate Marty Hurney.

Fast forward to 2017. Dave Gettleman gets fired as the Panthers’ General Manager on July 17th. Within a day, former Panthers owner, Jerry Richardson, hired Marty Hurney to be the interim General Manager. Some fans were livid, some fans shouted that Hurney is the one who drafted the core of the team. Carolina fans didn’t know how this would play out. Everyone was looking forward to seeing who the team would hire to be the full time GM. The first thing Hurney did was re-sign Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner to a four year deal that was worth $45 million. Fans were thinking that Hurney was up to his old tricks, even though Turner’s contract was cap friendly in 2017, worth only $3.9 million. In hindsight, a back loaded contract for a Pro Bowl guard seems to be a great deal.

The next thing Hurney did was correct a problem that Gettleman failed to address. Greg Olsen wanted to restructure his contract to make more money, since he had just completed the best three year stint of any tight end in league history, as he had three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. Hurney decided to add incentives to Olsen’s contract for the following year. Unfortunately, Olsen ended up getting hurt in 2017, didn’t make the extra money and Hurney looked like a genius.

As if that wasn’t enough, Hurney then re-signed linebacker Thomas Davis to a one year deal worth $6.7 million. That was thought to be a reasonably low contract for Davis, who was still playing like a Pro Bowler at age 34. To most fans, Hurney seemed to have learned how to negotiate contracts and was doing a solid job. There were still some fans, however, that were not sold. They thought Hurney shouldn’t have given contracts to the older players. Hurney wasn’t done…

On Halloween, just before the trade deadline, Hurney shocked Panther Nation by trading wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills for a third round pick and a seventh round pick. Benjamin had struggled with his weight in the offseason and came into camp overweight. During the season, his play was less than stellar. He averaged 59 yards per game in eight weeks. Panther fans started to see that Hurney meant business.

Some other notable player transactions during the 2017 offseason for Marty Hurney:

• G Greg Van Roten Signed

• DE Bryan Cox Signed (from practice squad)

• DE Efe Obada Signed

• CB Kevon Seymour Acquired via trade

• FB Alex Armah Signed (from practice squad)

• S Jairus Byrd Signed

Those aren’t splash free agent signings by any means, but they were solid signings for only having around $5 million in cap space. Carolina went 11-5 in 2017, prompting fans to say that Hurney learned from his mistakes. There were still fans that wanted interim General Manager Hurney gone, and wanted the team to hire a different GM.

On February 4, 2018, Marty Hurney was put on paid administrative leave for violating the league’s personal conduct rules, as his estranged wife made accusations against him. With no evidence that he did anything wrong, Hurney was reinstated by the team. Then, on February 21, 2018, Hurney was hired to be the full-time GM for the Panthers. Hurney was back where he belonged without an interim tag beside his name.

The 2018 offseason was fairly successful on paper, as Hurney had a little more cap space to sign core guys at positions of need. He added a little more space by releasing the running back he drafted, Jonathan Stewart, who is Carolina’s all time rushing leader. That was a tough decision, but that was just the start for Marty. Then, with the wide receiver position being in question, Hurney decided to trade for speedy veteran Torrey Smith, whose $5 million contract was somewhat low for a deep threat. Smith’s contract was also intriguing because there was no guaranteed money involved, so Carolina could cut ties if needed and they’d owe him nothing. Next on Hurney’s agenda was to address the defensive line. Hurney gave future Hall-of-Famer Julius Peppers a contract extension, so that Peppers could retire as a Panther. Hurney then signed Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dontari Poe to a three year contract worth $28 million. This was considered a relatively big free agent signing, since Poe was statistically better than Star Lotulelei, who Hurney let walk in free agency.

Hurney went on to make more low-key signings that looked to be solid. Wide receiver Jarius Wright, who was dubbed “Mr. Third Down” in Minnesota, signed with Carolina. Former Viking offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, had something to do with that. Hurney then signed strong safety Da’Norris Searcy to a two year contract. That signing looked to be solid, since Searcy was a starting caliber safety. He lost his job in Tennessee, but Hurney thought the change of scenery would help him. That same day, Hurney signed cornerback Ross Cockrell to a two year deal. This was significant because Carolina needed a corner to pair with starter James Bradberry and Cockrell was the number one zone corner in the league in 2017. This was an under the radar signing that could have a major impact. Hurney ended the month of March by signing guard Jeremiah Sirles to compete for the left guard spot, which was left vacant when Hurney let Andrew Norwell walk.

Other notable pre-draft transactions:

• P Michael Palardy Contract Extension

• C Tyler Larsen Contract Extension

• QB Tyler Heineke Claimed off waivers

• TE Greg Olsen Contract Extension

On April 26th, Hurney had his first draft during his second stint with the Panthers. Carolina had the 24th pick and the consensus pick from the fans was cornerback Mike Hughes. Carolina spent the most time with Hughes throughout the pre-draft process, which is why almost everyone thought that’s who they’d pick. During the draft, Hurney watched the best wide receivers, Calvin Ridley and DJ Moore, fall. Neither were on Hurney’s realistic draft board because he didn’t think either one would be there. When pick 24 came up, Hurney all but jumped to the phone to select DJ Moore, who was the best route runner and best at getting yards after the catch. Panther Nation couldn’t have been happier. Neither could Norv Turner.

Other 2018 Carolina draftees:

• Round 2- CB Donte Jackson 

(Check out the 4our Man Rush’s Film Room Episode of Jackson here)

• Round 3- S Rashaan Gaulden

(Check out the 4our Man Rush Film Room Episode of Gaulden here)

• Round 4a- TE Ian Thomas

• Round 4b- DE Marquis Haynes

• Round 5- LB Jermaine Carter

• Round 7a- LB Andre Smith

• Round 7B- DT Kendrick Norton

It’s hard to grade a draft in one year, but this class seemed to address a lot of needs. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, Hurney wasn’t done upgrading the offense. On May 7th, Carolina signed Pro Bowl running back CJ Anderson to a one year deal. This signing looked to be solid, since Anderson was a bruising back that could compliment Christian McCaffrey’s finesse running style. Panther fans rejoiced at the thought of Anderson joining the team. Over the next couple of months, Hurney made more small free agent signings to round out the roster, which is what all General Managers do.

After a string of injuries to nearly every position, Hurney made arguably the most impactful signing of his career. On September 27th, Carolina signed Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid to a one year contract. This signing was brought on by the injury to Da’Norris Searcy. The Reid signing wasn’t received well by a lot of fans due to Reid’s protest during the national anthem. Reid was, and still is, protesting racial injustices amongst the black community. Most teams shied away from Reid due to the media circus that would likely follow him. However, Hurney jumped at the chance to sign Reid because he was the best available safety. On paper, this Panthers team looked to be at least a 12 win team. As things in the NFL go, the season didn’t go as expected.

The 2018 season started and it looked promising after winning six out of eight games, even with all the injuries that were mounting up. Then, Pittsburgh happened. Cam Newton was injured during the game after a hit by TJ Watt, and the season crumbled. Carolina was viewed as a playoff caliber team. Now, they looked like a dumpster fire. To make matters worse, they released CJ Anderson, which made them the laughing stock of the NFL, after he did so well for the Rams. To close out the season, Carolina lost seven of their next eight games, and Panther Nation was again let down. It wasn’t really Hurney’s fault, but he felt as if he had let the team down. Hurney had a pretty successful offseason, but it wouldn’t hold a candle to what he would do in 2019.

In January, Hurney did something that was very hard for him. After a 14 year stint with the Panthers, Thomas Davis was told that he isn’t being re-signed. This was a hard pill to swallow for Panther Nation, as Davis has been the embodiment of the Carolina mantra Keep Pounding. This did, however, show fans that Hurney isn’t afraid to make those decisions anymore. He wasn’t going to sign a guy based purely on loyalty. That’s how a GM should be. This wouldn’t be his only veteran cut in 2019.

That same week, Hurney re-signed two role players, Efe Obada and Chris Manhertz. Obada was fairly effective in rotation at defensive end, and Manhertz is a good blocking tight end who was a part of one of the best plays of 2018. Then, in February, Hurney signed safety Eric Reid to a three year contract worth a little under $8 million per year. Hurney wanted to get a contract done before free agency started because he felt that Reid could get more money than he could offer. Again, Hurney made a tough decision by releasing Captain Munnerlyn in February, since his play didn’t match his salary. This move created $2 million in cap space for Carolina, and Hurney knew how to utilize that money.

In March, after re-signing a few of their own players, Hurney set his sights on free agency. After Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil retired, Hurney knew the team needed to replace him with someone that had experience. Yes, they had scouted a few centers in the pre-draft process, but Hurney was about to make a move that would surprise fans. On March 14th, the start of free agency, Carolina signed the top free agent center, Matt Paradis, to a three year deal. Fans, and Cam Newton, couldn’t have been happier. Paradis was ranked as the second best center in the league two out of the last three years, according to Pro Football Focus. Fans were already starting to feel the Hurn.

That same day, Hurney pulled off another big move. All Pro guard Daryl Williams was written off by most fans, as being gone due to his free agent status. Everyone thought he’d command at least $10 million per year in salary, which would’ve been good enough to garner us a third round compensatory pick in 2020. However, Hurney surprised fans when he signed Williams to a one year deal worth $6 million. The Panthers are serious about protecting Cam, and they proved it with this signing.

Next on Hurney’s agenda was to create some more cap room. Carolina released injured left tackle, Matt Kalil, and designated him as a post June 1st cut. That means they wouldn’t get that money until June. The Matt Kalil release would give Carolina an additional $7.5 million in cap space. Kalil wasn’t as bad as some fans thought he was, but he also wasn’t the answer at left tackle. The general thought now was, Carolina would likely move Taylor Moton to left tackle and put Daryl Williams back on the right side. Moton did well on the left in limited action earlier in the season.

A week after signing Paradis and Williams, Hurney shocked everyone again. This time it was on the defensive side of the ball. He signed linebacker Bruce Irvin to a one year contract. This was a big signing, since fans were concerned about the lack of pass rush in 2018. In 2018, Irvin played for both Oakland and Atlanta. His stats were decent, as he had 6.5 sacks combined. His tackle count was somewhat low, but that’s due to him playing 23% of the defensive snaps for both teams. Hurney knew that Irvin can still be productive if given more reps. Irvin will also serve as a mentor to the younger pass rushers that Carolina could potentially draft or sign.

After claiming tackle Dillon Gordon off waivers from Kansas City and signing a few more camp body players, Hurney turned his attention to players from the, now debunked, Alliance of American Football (AAF). Carolina signed six players from the AAF pre-draft, to get players with experience to round out the bottom of the roster. One player in particular, wide receiver and return man Rashad Ross, stood out as a player that has a real shot at making the team. Ross played in eight games with the Arizona Hotshots and had 583 receiving yards and a league-high seven touchdowns. Ross could make the Panthers 53 man roster based on his experience as a return man. Ross is a speedy receiver, as he was clocked at 4.26 while running the 40 yard dash in the pre-draft process years ago.

As if Carolina didn’t have enough players in the wide receiver room, Hurney brought former Patriot Chris Hogan in for a visit. Hurney signed Hogan to a one year deal, adding more veteran experience to the team. Hogan has been fairly productive over the last couple seasons and has won two Super Bowls with the Patriots. It’s worth noting that, since 2016, Hogan ranks second in post-season receiving yardage with 542 yards. He’s also tied for first in post-season receiving touchdowns with four. This is another under the radar signing by Hurney, that could be a key to their success.

Other notable transactions:

• DT Kyle Love Signed

• RB Cameron Artis-Payne Signed

• S Colin Jones Signed

Throughout this entire process, Hurney, the scouting department and the entire Panthers’ front office had been scouting and visiting with potential draft picks. Fans knew that there were still some positions that needed to be addressed, mainly left tackle and pass rusher. With the talk of Carolina’s defense becoming a more hybrid style and using a lot of 3-4 looks (For a thorough breakdown of Carolina’s new defense by the 4our Man Rush, click here), some fans were sold that either DE/OLB Montez Sweat or DE/OLB Brian Burns would be the pick in the first round, if available. The other half of the fan base wanted a left tackle. This split Panther Nation right down the middle.

On draft night, it couldn’t have went any better for Marty Hurney. All of the players that Hurney coveted were there at pick 16. Hurney took arguably the best player in Brian Burns. Burns is a player that has the potential to turn this defense around and be a cornerstone for years to come. According to Hurney, Burns was at the top of their draft board and they were shocked he was there. Burns’ skillset fits well in the Panthers’ revamped defense. (Learn more about Burns and the other 2019 draft picks here) Check out the 4our Man Rush’s Film Room Episode about Brian Burns here.

Hurney had also been looking at offensive tackles in the pre-draft process. One of which, he highly coveted. On day one, Hurney was on the phone but couldn’t make a trade. Day two started with Hurney on the phone yet again. He was trying to trade up for Greg Little, an offensive tackle from Ole Miss. As fate would have it, the Seattle Seahawks were looking to trade down from pick 37. They had a number of trade partners, but they picked Carolina. Carolina chose left tackle Greg Little, a guy who they had pondered drafting at pick 16. The Panthers offensive line was immediately upgraded. Hurney was on cloud nine.

Other 2019 Carolina draftees:

Round 3- QB Will Grier

Round 4- DE/OLB Christian Miller

(Check out the 4our Man Rush’s Film Room Episode on Miller here)

Round 5- RB Jordan Scarlett

Round 6- OT Dennis Daley

Round 7- WR Terry Godwin

On paper, this could very well be Marty Hurney’s best ever draft. Obviously it’s too early to know, since they haven’t taken a snap yet. This could also be Hurney’s best offseason. His moves had been very precise up to this point, and he balanced his attention to all three phases of the team.

As if Carolina didn’t have enough wide receivers already, Hurney signed former Viking Aldrick Robinson. Robinson isn’t an elite receiver, but in 2018 he had a knack for finding the end zone. Robinson only had 17 catches for the year, but 5 of them were touchdowns. Robinson is another speedster that can stretch the field and get behind defenses in a hurry. Another solid role player with potential had been signed by Marty Hurney. The pieces for success are in place and Panther fans can’t wait until training camp to get a look at the 2019 team. Little did Panther Nation know, this team was about to get a whole lot better.

Before the 2019 NFL draft, Panthers linebacker, Luke Kuechly, restructured his contract, which freed up $7.24 million in cap space. Fans immediately thought that Hurney did this to sign safety Tre Boston, since the thought was that they didn’t have anyone good to play along side Eric Reid. Carolina did try to sign Boston, but it didn’t work out. Around the same time, news broke out of Tampa, Florida that six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Gerald McCoy, was on the trade block. New Buccaneers head coach, Bruce Arians, didn’t commit to keeping McCoy during an interview and the rumors started to fly. The media pegged the Cleveland Browns as a potential trade partner for McCoy, but nothing ever came of it. On May 20th, the Bucs announced that they had released Gerald McCoy, which saved them around $13 million in cap space. McCoy came out and said that he wanted to play for a contender, and again, the Cleveland Browns were the first team everyone thought of due to their enormous salary cap number. McCoy did indeed visit Cleveland, but left without a deal. At this point, Carolina fans didn’t even think it was possible to get McCoy, but everyone wanted him. Next, McCoy visited Baltimore for two days.

Everyone thought that it was between those two teams until Ian Rappoport reported that a third was interested in McCoy. It was the Carolina Panthers. Panthers’ fans were in disbelief that Hurney was on the verge of possibly getting a top five defensive tackle. Many fans still didn’t think it was possible. McCoy left Baltimore without a contract and he was on his way to Charlotte to meet with the Panthers’ brass. In the days leading up to the McCoy meeting, Marty Hurney convinced wide receiver, Torrey Smith, to take a $2 million pay cut, to help add funds to the cap in case McCoy wanted to sign. McCoy came in for a visit on Thursday and stayed until Friday. He stated that he was going to think about it over the weekend. On Monday, it was announced that McCoy had chosen the Panthers as his next team. Panther Nation went crazy. Marty Hurney had pulled off the unthinkable. He had signed another top tier defensive tackle to pair with KK Short. McCoy can play inside and outside on the defensive line, and has been one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the NFL over the last six seasons. He’s the only defensive tackle that has produced 6 sacks ever year for the past six years. Having McCoy and Short together with Dontari Poe at nose tackle in the 3-4 looks could be the most dominant front that the Panthers have ever had. Carolina now has the front seven of Short, Poe, McCoy, Addison, Thompson, Kuechly and Irvin/Burns. All hail Marty Hurney! Make sure to check out the 4our Man Rush’s Film Room Episode of Gerald McCoy here to learn more.

So Marty Hurney showed Panther Nation that he, along with the rest of the front office, is in win-now mode. Carolina has the potential to have their best ever defense (barring injury). Marty Hurney had a plan in place and exceeded his own expectations. Time will tell if these moves will translate in wins, but it looks to be dominating on paper. To recap, this offseason, Marty Hurney:

• Re-signed S Eric Reid

• Signed C Matt Paradis

• Re-signed OT Daryl Williams

• Signed DE/OLB Bruce Irvin

• Signed WR Chris Hogan

• Re-signed DT Kyle Love

• Drafted DE/OLB Brian Burns, LT Greg Little, QB Will Grier and DE/OLB Christian Miller in the first four rounds

• Restructured Luke Kuechly’s contract to gain cap space

• Convinced Torrey Smith to take a pay cut for added funds

• Signed WR Aldrick Robinson

• Signed DT Gerald McCoy

**EDIT- After a few months of courtship, Hurney has signed safety, Tre Boston, to solidify the secondary. Huge news! Even more to be hyped about.**

How can anyone not be hyped at the pieces that Marty Hurney has put in place since his return? In the last three months, Marty Hurney has possibly put together the single greatest off-season of his career. This is a 180 degree turn from how he was viewed prior to his termination in 2012. What say you, Panther Nation? Are you feeling the Hurn?!?! Hopefully this team will bring a Lombardi trophy home to the Carolinas. Make sure you check out the 4our Man Rush’s weekly podcast for all the Panthers info you need. Also, check out the 4our Man Rush’s YouTube channel for Film Reviews and breakdowns of everything Panthers related. #KeepPounding #4MR #WhatARush

Filed Under: Prime Cuts with Norris Tagged With: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, Eric Reid, Marty Hurney

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