The Carolina Panthers cut cornerback Anthony Brown just in time for the veteran to sign with a legitimate contender. A sixth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Brown began his career with the Dallas Cowboys and bounced around the league in 2023 before trying to revitalize his career with the Panthers. Signed to compete on a wide-open depth chart, Brown’s season ended before it ever truly began. After suffering a preseason thumb injury, Carolina placed the veteran on the injured reserve.
Now healthy, the Panthers did Anthony Brown a favor by cutting him. The Purdue product is free to sign on with any team he chooses as contenders gear up for a playoff run. While he’s no superstar, there aren’t enough good cornerbacks to go around, which means the 31-year-old could land with contenders like the Baltimore Ravens or Los Angeles Chargers.
Panthers Cut Anthony Brown, Cornerback Could Land With Ravens, Chargers
The Baltimore Ravens defense has not played up to its usual level in 2024. While the team has one of the league’s best red zone defenses, their ability between the 20s leaves a lot to be desired. According to rbsdm.com, the unit ranks an unimpressive 21st in EPA/play allowed and 28th in EPA/dropback allowed. The Ravens are third in the league in sacks, which goes to show that players like Kyle Van Noy and former first-round pick Odafe Oweh are holding up their end of the bargain.
Something must be done about the secondary if the Ravens want to finally win their first Super Bowl since the Joe Flacco Era. Lamar Jackson is playing at an MVP level and Derrick Henry is phenomenal, but Baltimore can’t rely on winning every game in a shootout. Anthony Brown isn’t good enough to singlehandedly fix this secondary, but the recently cut cornerback could provide some depth and will improve the unit. When you’re going up against Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, you need all the help you can get.
Winning With Defense
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has an elite quarterback in Justin Herbert but would rather win games with a strong defense and a reliable rushing attack. That strategy worked early in the season, but it’s fallen apart over the past few weeks. Quarterback Baker Mayfield dominated the Chargers through the air last week, completing 22 of his 27 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns as the Buccaneers dropped 40 points on the defense.
Mayfield looks like a new man in Tampa Bay, and nobody can cover Mike Evans when he’s at his best, but this type of performance does not bode well for the future. If the Chargers can’t stop a good but not great Buccaneers passing attack, then what shot do they have against someone like Josh Allen? Herbert is one of the best in the game, but he lacks the offensive support to go blow-for-blow with Buffalo or Baltimore in a shootout. This team must win with defense, and taking a risk on Anthony Brown could help fortify the secondary.
Main Photo: Jerome Miron – USA Today Sports
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