After the Panthers hired Ejiro Evero as their new defensive coordinator earlier this year, safety Jeremy Chinn said he was “super excited” about the change because Evero would move him “a little bit closer to the line of scrimmage again.”
The presence of safeties Vonn Bell and Xavier Woods opens the door to using Chinn in more of a hybrid linebacker-type role, but Evero was less forthcoming this week when it came to the specifics of what the coming season has in store for Chinn. He made it clear that he envisions Chinn’s role being a prominent one, however.
“We think very highly of him,” Evero said, via Augusta Stone of the team’s website. “I think he’s a heck of a player. He’s a weapon that we’re definitely going to try to utilize. And I know he’s an asset for us to have.”
Chinn has 294 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries over his first three seasons. The 2023 campaign is the final one of the 2020 second-round pick’s rookie deal, so his performance in whatever role Evero comes up with will have a lot of weight on his NFL future.