Mike Adams, Colin Jones and Eric Reid are all set to be unrestricte

The Panthers currently have a lot of names on the roster at the safety position Cheap Luke Kuechly Jersey , but when you take a closer look at the list it’s not as great as one would hope. d free agents when the league year opens in March. Damian Parms is an exclusive rights free agent. That leaves Da’Norris Searcy, Cole Luke, Rashaan Gaulden, Quin Blanding and Kai Nacua as the only safeties on the roster for 2019. That’s... that’s not a good group. There are six safeties the Panthers should consider drafting in the second or third round of the draft. Four of them are free safeties and two of them are strong safeties. I’ve broken them down in those groups to make it less confusing. Free safetyA rangy free safety is arguably the second biggest need on the Panthers’ defense after a premier pass rusher. The Panthers haven’t had one since Charles Godfrey was here, and he left in 2014. One could argue that Kurt Coleman fits the description, but he benefited from a beastly front seven that allowed him to make plays. Even if you do count him, his best year with Carolina was 2015. After parting ways with Coleman the Panthers added Mike Adams to the roster, and while he’s been a good player in his two years here he’s 75 years old and probably doesn’t have many good years left in him. Safety may not be the biggest need facing the Panthers as they rebuild their roster (or maybe it is), but it is absolutely a position they should have on their radar during the draft.Only one or two of these four players is really in consideration in the first round, but there’s a chance that all four of them are available for the Panthers in the second. Nasir Adderley Cheap Christian McCaffrey Jersey , DelawareAdderley could be the only free safety taken in the first round this year. There’s a very high chance that he’s on the board at No. 16, but unless there are no first round pass rushers or offensive tackles the Panthers should probably wait until the second round to address the safety position. That probably means they won’t get Adderley, but if he somehow falls to Carolina in the second round they should jump on the opportunity.Deionte Thompson, AlabamaThompson was considered a first round pick a few months ago (he’s even been mocked to the Panthers at No. 16) but his stock has fallen recently and is now considered a strong second round pick. He has the tools to play free safety at the NFL level, and if he’s still there when the Panthers pick in the second round they should give him serious consideration. Taylor Rapp, WashingtonWalterFootball believes that Rapp is more suited for strong safety in the NFL, and if that’s the case then the Panthers should look elsewhere. Unless he’s still there in the third round... if that happens, they should draft him and find a way to make him fit into the defense. He’s too good to pass up at that point.Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, FloridaGardner-Johnson played slot cornerback for the Gators but could also convert to safety at the next level. The Panthers also have a need for a slot corner if they decide to part ways with Captain Munnerlyn this offseason, so Gardner-Johnson’s versatility could be seen as a positive from the Panthers’ coaching staff. He’s a player to keep an eye on in the second or third round.Strong safetyThe Panthers could also look to add a strong safety if they decide against re-signing Eric Reid in free agency. While I believe re-signing Reid is the better option (better to buy something you are already familiar with than gamble on something that may or may not work out), the Panthers may feel like adding youth to the secondary is a better way to go.There are two strong safeties worth considering in the draft. Johnathan Abram Cheap Kawann Short Jersey , Mississippi StateAbram is arguably the best safety prospect in this year’s draft class. (Both CBS Sports and WalterFootball rank him as the No. 1 safety.) According to WalterFootball, scouts believe he is a ‘solid player with starting potential’. It should be noted that Abram is the only safety WalterFootball places a first round grade on, so he might not be on the board in the second round for Carolina. (They absolutely should not draft a strong safety at No. 16 overall. No. Negative. Nein. Nay.) If he’s still there in the second and the Panthers don’t want to re-sign Reid, Marty Hurney should definitely consider drafting him because it will be difficult to get a better value at that spot.Juan Thornhill, VirginiaThornhill’s biggest issue is that he played for Virginia, so hardly anyone has seen him play (no, that’s not a dig at Virginia*). He has solid measurables and some scouts believe he is the second best safety in this year’s class. He’s probably a second rounder, and if Abram is already gone then the Pantherscould be interested in him. Thornhill also falls under the ‘if the Panthers decide not to re-sign Eric Reid’ clause, but he’s definitely a player to watch as the draft approaches. Panthers coach Ron Rivera said C.J. Anderson's frustration with his smaller-than-expected role on offense contributed to the team's decision to release the former 1,000-yard rusher midway through the season.Rivera said he spoke recently to Anderson and could sense the veteran running back's frustration over not being more involved in Carolina's offense.Christian McCaffrey is the team's starter and rarely leaves the field, playing in 96 percent of his team's offensive snaps 鈥?by far the most of any running back in the league.Most of Anderson's reps have come in a shared backfield set with McCaffrey the Panthers called "Pony 21." Anderson has carried the ball just 24 times and caught one pass this season. The limited role came just one season after Anderson ran for 1 Cheap Greg Olsen Jersey ,007 yards for the Broncos."He's a veteran guy who has had a lot of success in this league and was just looking for more opportunities," Rivera said Tuesday, one day after the Panthers released Anderson. "You could feel" the frustration.Rivera reiterated what general manager Marty Hurney said Monday 鈥?that Anderson did not ask to be released from the Panthers (6-3), who visit the Lions on Sunday after a 52-21 shellacking at the hands of the Steelers last week.Anderson tweeted Monday: "No love lost. Thank you Carolina. Grind time."Rivera said Cameron Artis-Payne will take over Anderson's role as the No. 2 back in Carolina.Artis-Payne was a fifth-round pick in 2015, but has played in just 25 games and carried the ball only 99 times during his career for 422 yards with four touchdowns.Rivera believes Artis-Payne, who has only been active for two games this season, has a similar skillset to Anderson and can also come in and spell McCaffrey during games. Carolina also signed veteran running back Travaris Cadet, a player Rivera views as similar in style to McCaffrey as a backup plan.Rivera called Artis-Payne "a tough, hard-nosed young man" who has gone about his role the right way in practice despite not seeing much playing time."He's waited for his opportunity and earned this opportunity, and hopefully when he gets his chance on the football field he will take advantage of it," Rivera said.Rivera said the Panthers offense evolved this year under first-year offensive coordinator Norv Turner http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-devin-funchess-jersey , and that things began to focus around McCaffrey as the primary, if not exclusive, back on offense 鈥?similar to how Turner extensively used LaDainian Tomlinson when he coached the San Diego Chargers.McCaffrey's expanded role isn't a huge surprise.Rivera said before the season that getting the second-year back 25 to 30 touches per game would be "ideal," although few could have imagined that he'd leave the field as infrequently as he has this season."The more Norv got to know who Christian is, the more we saw we could keep him on the field," Rivera said. "A lot of things that we can do are structured around his skillset."McCaffrey leads the Panthers with 579 yards rushing, followed by Cam Newton with 352 yards and wide receiver D.J. Moore with 122.Anderson, who had been expected to be used as a short-yardage back, had 104 yards rushing and no touchdowns on the ground in nine games. His lone reception went for a 24-yard touchdown.McCaffrey said Anderson's release was a reminder the game is a business."Our coaches have a lot of confidence in the guys that are here right now and they had to make a decision they felt was best for the team," McCaffrey said. "As far as we are concerned we have to focus on the guys here and wish him the very best. Our guys right now are just locked into us."