The Carolina Panthers reworked their secondary this offseason ahead of year two of the Dave Canales era.
GM Dan Morgan made sure to prioritize a makeover at safety after last year, when the Panthers gave up the most rushing yards in a season since 1980. And while the defensive front saw several new faces added the mix, Morgan put his biggest financial stamp on safety Tre’von Moehrig in free agency.
Moehrig, who is coming off a four-year stint with the Las Vegas Raiders, is seen internally as a movable chess piece in the defensive backfield. He can play pretty much anywhere but outside cornerback, which gives defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero a lot of flexbility before and after the snap. He can also make plays on the ball (six interceptions, three sacks and 29 pass breakups in his career).
But as The Observer hits the home stretch of its position-by-position depth chart series, it remains a mystery who will join Moehrig at safety.
What will revamped safety group look like in 2025?
The Panthers did a near-complete wash of their safety depth chart from last season. For a few weeks of free agency, second-year DB Demani Richardson was the only familiar face. Nick Scott, a special teams standout, eventually re-signed later in the offseason. The Panthers said goodbye to longtime starter Xavier Woods, along with the likes of Lonnie Johnson, Sam Franklin and Jordan Fuller.
To be fair, all four of those departures were warranted following the results of the worst scoring defense in NFL history. While a lot of blame for the scoring allowance could be thrown at the defensive line, the safety unit consistently seemed to be filling up the blooper reel with poor play and mental mistakes last season.
Moehrig is seen as the answer to the problems for the run defense. He is a sturdy tackler, and his blitzing ability has proven to be top notch during the first few years of his career.
And while those attributes scream “box safety,” his cornerback background and football IQ make him an option for post work as well.
Moehrig can play deep in the zone-heavy scheme that Evero runs — the Panthers probably don’t want him isolated on a wideout, but he can clearly provide support for a cornerback on a double-team against premier weapon. He can also shade a section of the field well enough to support those playing in front of him.
But in order to move Moehrig around, the Panthers need to have at least two capable starting-caliber safeties playing with him. Richardson flashed quite a bit as an undrafted rookie last year, but he was also still part of the slop in last season’s disasters. Richardson has fans internally, including the coaching staff, and his ball-hawking ability is unique within the secondary. He will get every chance this summer to impress, and the Panthers are hoping he can complement Moehrig.
Lathan Ransom, the team’s second fourth-round pick, has comparable strengths to Moehrig. Ransom is an excellent blitzer, he’s physical against the run, and his football IQ is considered notable. So, in theory, if the Panthers use a big nickel package (three safeties instead of three cornerbacks), Moehrig and Ransom could alternate roles, while disguising their usage pre-snap. That could be helpful for Evero when he wants to dictate coverage matchups that aren’t obvious to the opposition.
Still, Richardson and Ransom need to prove they belong in that three-man unit this summer. Potential and projections only go so far, and the Panthers are banking on both to rebuild their safety unit around Moehrig. The veteran addition gives the Panthers some cover, but as with any defense, the weakest member can lead to catastrophic results. The Panthers are hoping Richardson and/or Ransom can prove to be a strength of the defense instead of inexperienced liability.
Richardson, because of his complementary skill set to Moehrig, should be the first man up in camp. Ransom will have some work to do to rise up the depth chart, despite his stronger draft pedigree. Ideally, though, the Panthers probably would like to have both on the field with Moehrig during team drills.
Panthers’ safety depth chart
The projected starters: Moehrig and Richardson/Ransom — Moehrig is the unquestioned starter at safety. There is no need to relitigate his importance to the defense, though it is paramount for a bounce-back campaign for Evero and his unit.
Richardson and Ransom are going to battle, though the former should get a leg up because of his experience with the defense and his ball-hawking skills. The Panthers lacked splash plays in the secondary last season, and Richardson, with an extra summer of seasoning, could be a rare turnover creator on the back end.
Ransom fits nicely behind Moehrig, but the veteran’s versatility could lead to Ransom playing in a few different spots — in the starting lineup — this fall.
The Panthers also have some free-agent options available if they need to upgrade the unit. If they deem they need better talent after a few summer practices, Justin Simmons, Julian Blackmon and Marcus Williams remain unsigned.
Blackmon and Williams visited the facility in March, while Simmons has a background with Evero from their Denver days.
The projected backup: Scott — This is where the safety group feels painfully light.
Scott struggled mightily on defense last season, despite having experience with Evero and the system elsewhere. While he knows the Xs and Os of the unit, he’s probably better off as a special teams ace, who rarely enters the lineup for significant playing time. That could be an issue, as safety is a physical position that takes on a lot of punishment during a given season.
Last season, the Panthers encountered several injuries at safety, and while Moehrig has been durable throughout his four-year career, it’s hard to count on safeties to maintain their health as a unit throughout a 17-game slate. Ransom and Richardson will play a lot, and its likely that Scott (or whomever is the fourth guy in the room) does as well.
The competition: Trevian Thomas, Isaac Gifford and Jack Henderson — The Panthers have a trio of undrafted rookies battling to prove they can become this year’s Richardson.
Henderson is the unique one of the bunch. Listed as 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he could be converted to inside linebacker eventually. He’s long and lanky and has a lot of physicality to his game. His numbers during his two years at Minnesota (103 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and a forced fumble) were impressive.
Gifford, the brother of well-traveled NFL special teams ace Luke Gifford, is a hustle player with good instincts. Like his brother, though, he’s probably best fit for a special teams role.
Thomas is a wild card, but he could be considered the most like Richardson among the group. He had eight interceptions during his college career at Arkansas State.