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The Carolina Panthers have not possessed the financial flexibility to address their porous offensive tackles over the past two seasons. This year, general manager Dave Gettleman finally had a little bit of cap room to work with, and he went out and signed Michael Oher after the Tennessee Titans released him, in addition to claiming Jonathan Martin off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers. The Panthers then selected Daryl Williams, an offensive tackle from Oklahoma, in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. The team also still has 2012 undrafted free agent Mike Remmers on the roster, who was the starting right tackle in the second half of 2015 for the Panthers.
Looking at that group, other than the potential of Williams, there’s no player there to make Cam Newton, the franchise quarterback for the Panthers, feel safe when he drops back in the pocket. After a promising beginning to his career, Oher went to the Titans and was absolutely terrible. Martin has underachieved his entire career and is best known for being bullied by Richie Incognito. Remmers did a nice job for the Panthers last season, but can he sustain it? Williams looks like a beast, but he is only a rookie and may not be ready to contribute in 2015.
With so many questions surrounding the current state of the Panthers’ offensive tackles, I believe it would be wise for Gettleman to sign Jake Long. While Long has battled injuries recently, he’s still only 30 and he has produced extremely well when he’s on the field. Because of the injuries, Long would likely only receive a one-year deal, which could be all the Panthers would need from him until Williams is ready. Long can also play either tackle spot, and I’m sure Newton would feel much better with a mauler like Long protecting his blindside compared to any of the other players currently on the roster.
If Panthers can keep Newton clean in 2015, the sky is the limit for this team. They are the two-time defending NFC South champions, despite playing with a terrible offensive line the past two seasons. Signing Long would go a long way in protecting their investment in Newton and could put the Panthers in the conversation as Super Bowl contenders. It’s time for Gettleman to roll the dice and take a chance on a low-risk, high reward player in Long.
Jason Fletcher is a MLB Featured Writer For www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.
