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Charles Johnson (DE)

Panthers To Activate DE Charles Johnson

November 23rd, 2015 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFC’s last remaining undefeated team will get more reinforcements this week, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, who tweets that the Panthers are activating defensive end Charles Johnson from IR-DTR on Tuesday.

Johnson, 29, has been the Panthers’ most reliable pass rusher over the last several years, recording at least 8.5 sacks in every season from 2010 to 2014. However, his 2015 campaign was derailed by a hamstring injury, which landed him on the injured reserve list with the designation to return for the last eight weeks. Johnson’s injury prompted Carolina to go out and acquire Jared Allen to help fill the void at defensive end.

While the Panthers will get a boost to their pass rush with Johnson returning, the team’s offensive line took a hit on Sunday, with Amini Silatolu tearing the ACL in his left knee, according to Person (Twitter links). Silatolu will head to IR this week, and could be the corresponding roster move when Johnson is activated, though the team may also add another offensive lineman and remove a defender from the 53-man unit to balance things out.

The Panthers figure to officially announce their roster moves on Tuesday, with a Thanksgiving tilt against the rejuvenated Cowboys right around the corner.

Panthers Place Charles Johnson On IR-DTR

September 29th, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reported (via Twitter) that the Panthers weren’t considering placing defensive end Charles Johnson on their injured reserve list with the designation to return, but it appears the team reconsidered that stance today. Johnson has announced (via Instagram) that the team has used its IR-DTR slot on him, sidelining him for at least eight weeks due to his hamstring injury.

Johnson, 29, has been the Panthers’ most reliable pass rusher over the last several years, recording at least 8.5 sacks in each of his last five seasons. However, after Greg Hardy was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list in 2014 and then departed in free agency earlier in 2015, Johnson hasn’t had much help getting to the quarterback in Carolina. He had one sack in three games this season before sustaining his hamstring injury.

In Johnson’s absence, Jared Allen, acquired in a trade with the Bears, will slot into the vacated defensive end position, and the Panthers will count on the veteran pass rusher to help the unit get after quarterbacks over the next eight weeks.

While Johnson’s cap number for 2015 is $20.02MM, the highest in the NFL for a defensive player, Allen will cost the Panthers less than $1MM, since the Bears paid the majority of his 2015 earnings earlier this year, giving him an $11.5MM roster bonus.

Half of the NFL’s 32 teams have now used their IR-DTR slot. Here’s the complete list.

NFC Notes: Panthers, Brooks, Parkey

September 29th, 2015 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Although defensive end Charles Johnson is expected to miss multiple games due to a hamstring injury, the Panthers aren’t considering placing him on the injured reserve list with the designation to return, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Carolina acquired Jared Allen this week to help boost the pass rush in Johnson’s absence, and according to agent Ken Harris, the Panthers were one of five teams that he and his client identified as potential landing spots (link via David Newton of ESPN.com). Carolina was “by far” their No. 1 choice, per Harris.

Let’s round up several more items from across the NFC….

  • 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks wasn’t present in court today, but his lawyer put in a plea of “not guilty” for his client on a misdemeanor sexual battery charge, reports Damian Trujillo of NBC Bay Area (Twitter link). Brooks seems likely to face discipline from the NFL sometime after the legal process plays out.
  • Cody Parkey‘s groin injury is more serious than it initially sounded, with the Eagles kicker telling reporters today that he tore three muscles in his groin. While he landed on the IR today, Parkey fully expects to be kicking again for the Eagles again in 2016 (Twitter links via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
  • The Bears may not be done making trades this season, but the Cowboys haven’t discussed the possibility of acquiring a player like Matt Forte or Alshon Jeffery, says Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • No outside free agent got a larger contract from the Saints than the $16MM deal C.J. Spiller signed this offseason, and head coach Sean Payton admits that he needs to get the running back more involved in the offense, according to Christopher Dabe of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
  • Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, who was taken out of Monday night’s game against the Chiefs, re-aggravated his high ankle sprain, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Adams is expected to miss some time, though it’s too early for an exact timetable. As for tight end Andrew Quarless, he has a sprained MCL, and is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks, per Rapoport (Twitter link).

NFC Notes: Brindza, Panthers, H. Smith

September 28th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Buccaneers kicker Kyle Brindza had a rough day on Sunday, missing an extra point and three field goals as his team fell to the Texans by 10 points. However, head coach Lovie Smith stressed that the Bucs are sticking with Brindza, and don’t plan on auditioning any potential replacements this week, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

“No. Kyle is our kicker,” Smith said. “He, like a lot of us, had a disappointing day. That hasn’t been the case. You’re going to have off days, and this was an off day.”

Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NFC:

  • Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) believes that the Panthers will eventually get cornerback Josh Norman locked up to an extension, though it will likely require an offer of $10MM+ per year, and will probably have to wait until the offseason. Norman reportedly turned down a contract offer worth about $7MM annually prior to the regular season.
  • Person (Twitter links) also passes along a pair of injury updates from Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who says defensive end Charles Johnson has a hamstring issue and linebacker Thomas Davis has a pectoral injury. While Rivera doesn’t believe the Davis injury is serious, he says Johnson could be out for multiple weeks, and the club may look for outside help on the defensive line (Twitter links).
  • After picking up his fifth-year option for 2016, the Vikings decided to wait on signing safety Harrison Smith to a contract extension. As Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press observes (via Twitter), Smith’s price tag appears to be on the rise — through three weeks, the Vikings safety easily has the highest Pro Football Focus grade (+9.4) of anyone at the position.
  • Despite the Lions‘ offensive struggles so far this year, head coach Jim Caldwell hasn’t given consideration to taking over playcalling duties from OC Joe Lombardi, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

More Mailbags: Draft, G. Johnson, Pagano

April 12th, 2015 at 10:04am CST by Rory Parks

There are an increasing number of mailbags as we get closer to the draft, so let’s round up a few more:

  • ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson looks at two top defensive line prospects the Bears could target in the first round of the draft, Shane Ray and Danny Shelton. Dickerson believes that Shelton, who is more of a two-down player, would be a good choice for the Bears if they were to trade back in the draft, but Chicago would be reaching if it took him with the No. 7 overall pick. Although Ray would need to adjust to playing outside linebacker after lining up primarily as a 4-3 defensive end in college, Dickerson believes the Bears would do well to add the elite pass rusher with their first selection.
  • A number of publications have mocked Florida State offensive lineman Cameron Erving to the Browns, and Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com–who did the same thing in his own mock draft–says there’s a good reason for that. Erving is the best center in the draft, and he also projects favorably at guard. Grossi writes that Erving is the only offensive lineman the Browns should consider in the first two rounds.
  • The Lions also have big needs on the offensive and defensive lines, and Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes that it would not be a surprise to see the team address those areas in the early rounds of the draft. In a separate mailbag, Rothestein believes the team should let George Johnson leave for the Buccaneers, who recently signed the defensive lineman to an offer sheet.
  • David Newton of ESPN.com believes that Washington’s Shaq Thompson, one of the best athletes in this year’s draft class, would be the ideal player for the Panthers to groom as an outside linebacker behind Thomas Davis. Speaking of Davis, Newton reiterates his belief that Carolina will get an extension done with the 32-year-old before the season begins, which, along with the planned long-term deal for Cam Newton, would require the team to somehow lower Charles Johnson‘s $20MM+ cap number.
  • Mike Wells of ESPN.com examines whether or not the Colts will–or should–offer a long-term extension to head coach Chuck Pagano.

NFC Mailbags: Cardinals, Panthers, Giants

September 20th, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier today, so now let’s see what the NFC writers have to say…

  • Josh Weinfuss writes that the Cardinals need another player to contribute at defensive end, but he also notes that acquiring an upgrade at the position would be difficult.
  • David Newton puts Greg Hardy‘s chances of returning to the Panthers after the season at 50-50, saying it will all come down to the jury trial.
  • The Panthers will be looking to extend Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly this offseason, and David Newton “almost guarantees” that the team will restructure Charles Johnson‘s contract.
  • Dan Graziano believes that the Giants have a two-year plan, with hopes that they’ll see offensive improvements by 2015. As a result, the writer thinks coach Tom Coughlin will be around for at least two more seasons.

Panthers Rework Charles Johnson’s Contract

September 8th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have created some cap space by once again restructuring the contract of defensive end Charles Johnson, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Person reports that the move creates $5.2MM in 2014 cap space for the team.

Johnson, 28, had been slated to earn a base salary of $8.75MM this season, but that figure has now been reduced to just $950K. The difference of $7.8MM has been converted to a signing bonus that will prorate over the final three years of the deal, for an average of $2.6MM per year.

While the restructure makes Johnson’s 2014 cap number – which dips from $16.42MM to $11.22MM – more palatable, it increases his cap hit for next year from $17.42MM to $20.02MM. It’s hard to imagine, given the cap constraints Carolina is already facing, that the team could keep Johnson at that figure, so another restructure or even a cut might be in the cards.

It’ll be an interesting situation to keep an eye on, since the Panthers will also have to make a decision on their other defensive end, Greg Hardy, who is playing the 2014 season under the franchise tag. Prior to the restructure of Johnson’s contract, he and Hardy had two of the top five largest 2014 cap hits in the NFL for defensive ends.

Panthers Pick Up Options On Davis, Restructure Deal

February 24th, 2014 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 1:47pm: In addition to picking up their two option years on Davis, the Panthers also restructured his contract, creating additional flexibility for the 2014 season, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. By agreeing to a $5MM signing bonus and tacking three voidable years onto Davis’ deal, the Panthers will reduce Davis’ cap number by $3.25MM for the 2014 season.

The Panthers are also hoping to restructure other contracts to create more cap savings, according to Person, who identifies defensive end Charles Johnson and center Ryan Kalil as potential candidates.

FRIDAY, 3:21pm: The Panthers have exercised their 2014 and 2015 years on Thomas Davis‘ contract, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. The longtime Carolina linebacker will earn $13.5MM over the next two seasons.

After three ACL tears sidelined Davis for all but nine regular-season games from 2009 to 2011, the former first-round pick has come back to start 28 contests in the last two seasons for the Panthers. Davis had perhaps his best season as a pro in 2013, racking up 123 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions, while ranking as the third-best 4-3 outside linebacker in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Davis will be in line for a base salary of $2.75MM in 2014 and $7.25MM in 2015, with various bonuses adding a few more million dollars to his total earnings.

Panthers Could Let Hardy Walk

February 8th, 2014 at 8:49am CST by Matt Feminis

In a year’s time, Panthers second-year GM Dave Gettleman has taken the team from $16MM over the salary cap to approximately $16MM under the cap. Ostensibly, that’s enough to bring free agent defensive end Greg Hardy back into the fold, be it on a long-term deal or one-year franchise tender, but it’s not that simple, according to the Charlotte Observer’s Joseph Person.

Hardy’s bookend, veteran sack artist Charles Johnson, carries a team-high $16.24MM cap hit in 2014. So while retaining a budding pass rusher seems like an obvious move, sacrificing Hardy to maintain financial flexibility is a realistic scenario. Person also floats the idea of a “tag-and-trade” scenario, which would garner better compensation than the Panthers would receive if they just let Hardy sign elsewhere.

Also factoring in the decision is the uncertainty of left tackle Jordan Gross‘ future, looming big-money extensions for young stars Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly and other current free-agent priorities, including cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and receiver/returner Ted Ginn Jr. Person points out that Gettleman got creative last year by cutting veterans and restructuring others. If he goes that route again, safety Charles Godfrey, recovering from an Achilles injury, could be on the chopping block. Releasing Godfrey before June 1 would recoup $2.1MM in cap space, or $5.1MM post June 1.