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The Carolina Panthers made a run to Super Bowl 50 with a good defense playing a big role, and cornerback Josh Norman was the star of the secondary in a breakout season. Norman is a legit No. 1 corner, with a contract that will soon reflect that, but depth is a bit of a concern and the team took a step to address that on Monday.
Brandon Boykin was set to visit the Panthers on Monday, and the two sides have reportedly agreed to a one-year contract. Terms of the deal are not immediately available.
Panthers general manager David Gettleman offered his thoughts on Boykin. Gettleman said:
“Brandon brings a lot of versatility. He’s athletic, smart, instinctive, tough, and has quality ball skills. Brandon is a very good piece for our defense and brings solid special teams value as well. We’re excited to add Brandon to our roster.”
Boykin was a fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012, and he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp last year as part of a Chip Kelly-driven roster reshuffling. His role in Pittsburgh was virtually nil early but grew as the season went along, perhaps to due to the draft pick the Steelers would send to Philadelphia being upgraded if Boykin played 60 percent of the defensive snaps last season.
With the Panthers, the 5-foot-9, 183-pound Boykin fits well as a slot corner with Bene Benwikere slated to take over a starting role on the outside next season. Boykin had 18 of his 25 tackles last season over the final four games, along with two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, so he seems to only need playing time to be a very productive player.
In 2013, his second season with the Eagles, Boykin had six interceptions, 17 pass breakups and two forced fumbles despite starting just two of 16 games and playing 51 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. Carolina has clearly found another ball hawk for their secondary, and their defense as a whole, and Boykin is in line to be an impact player next season.
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