Panthers To Re-Sign G Michael Jordan

Shortly after the Panthers agreed to bring back Cameron Erving, they will retain another member of their offensive line. Michael Jordan is re-signing with the team, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It is a one-year deal, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets.

While a notable prestige gap exists between this Michael Jordan and the other prominent guard with this name, the Panthers used the blocker in all 17 games last season. With Erving and Jordan under contract, the Panthers have all five of their 2022 O-line starters and two top backups in the fold.

The Panthers have employed Jordan for two seasons, claiming the interior blocker after the Bengals waived him just before the 2021 season. After Jordan worked as a 10-game starter for the 2021 Carolina edition, he shifted to a reserve role last season. The Panthers have Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen set to reprise their roles at guard, but both are coming off injuries. This opens the door for Jordan to re-enter the lineup.

Frank Reich has confirmed Corbett (torn ACL) will not be ready in time for Carolina’s regular-season opener. The Panthers now have Jordan as a potential stopgap option, though the team also used a fourth-round pick on NC State guard Chandler Zavala with Corbett’s situation in mind. Christensen is also coming off a major injury, having suffered a broken ankle during the Week 18 game in which Corbett tore the knee ligament.

A former fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, Jordan has 29 starts on his resume. Nineteen of those came for the Bengals from 2019-20. Cincinnati has dealt with O-line staffing issues for years and did not deem Jordan worth retaining in 2021, despite two years remaining on his rookie contract. The Panthers swooped in. Pro Football Focus has not graded Jordan as a top-50 guard yet in his career, but he stands to keep supplying the Panthers with depth. Considering Carolina’s current situation, that might mean a bit more in 2023.