The Panthers traded edge rusher Brian Burns to the Giants this month after initially using the franchise tag on him, but General Manager Dan Morgan thinks the team will be able to work out a way to keep another key defensive piece around for a longer stretch.
Defensive tackle Derrick Brown is heading into the fifth and final year of his rookie deal and Morgan said that they have opened up negotiations about a new deal with the 2020 first-round pick. Morgan suggested those negotiations are moving in a positive direction.
“I’m not going to put any timetable on it; we have had some good discussions with his agent,” Morgan said, via the team’s website. “But as of right now, we’re working through that, and hopefully, it ends up working out at the end, which I think it will.”
Brown was named a Pro Bowler for the first time after posting 103 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and six passes defensed during the 2023 season.
Free agent safety Nick Scott is heading to Carolina.
The Panthers have agreed to terms on a deal with Scott, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Last season Scott played in all 17 games with 10 starts for the Bengals. Scott is effectively trading places with Vonn Bell, who started 13 games at safety for the Panthers last year but was cut this offseason and signed with the Bengals.
Scott was a 2019 seventh-round pick of the Rams who spent four seasons in Los Angeles before signing with the Bengals last year.
A visit turned into a signing for free agent cornerback C.J. Henderson.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Henderson has agreed to join the Texans after Thursday’s visit to Houston. Henderson’s one-year deal has a maximum value of $3.25 million.
The move, combined with Houston’s signing of cornerback Jeff Okudah on March 11, likely means the end to Steven Nelson’s time with the Texans. Nelson, a starter for the Texans last season, is a free agent.
Henderson played 12 games with seven starts for the Panthers last season, finishing with 39 total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and two passes defensed.
The Jaguars selected Henderson at No. 9 overall in 2020 but traded him to the Panthers in September 2021. Okudah was the third overall pick in 2020, and the Texans’ top cornerback, Derek Stingley Jr., was the third overall pick in 2022.
In 49 total games with 32 starts, Henderson has totaled 16 passes defensed with three interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He started eight games as a rookie before being sidelined by a groin injury.
The Texans are taking a look at adding a former first-round pick to their defense.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Houston is hosting cornerback C.J. Henderson for a visit on Thursday.
The Jaguars selected Henderson at No. 9 overall in 2020. But he was traded in Sept. 2021 to the Panthers, making his tenure with Jacksonville particularly brief.
In 49 total games with 32 starts, Henderson has recorded 16 passes defensed with three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He started eight games as a rookie before being sidelined by a groin injury.
Last season, Henderson played 12 games with seven starts for the Panthers, finishing with 39 total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, and two passes defensed.
Free agent receiver Michael Gallup is scheduled to visit the Ravens on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Gallup’s first scheduled visit was with the Panthers.
The Cowboys released Gallup last week, making him a free agent. Dallas designated him as a post-June 1 cut, saving them $9.5 million in room this year, though Gallup will count $8.7 million in dead money in 2025.
Gallup has not been the same since an ACL tear during the 2021 season. In the past two seasons combined, Gallup had 73 receptions for 842 yards and six touchdowns total.
He has 266 catches for 3,744 yards and 21 touchdowns for his career.
