In NFL Free Agency, no deals are guaranteed until someone is signed. Eric Kendricks was all set to join the San Francisco 49ers but pulled out at the very last minute. Someone followed in his footsteps and it came at the cost of Dave Canales’ Carolina Panthers system. He goes by the name of Justin Strnad and he is going back to play for Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.
It took three hours before Justin Strnad made a final verdict about his NFL Free Agency. He already initially agreed to join the Panthers on a one-year deal but then rejected the offer. The Broncos are getting him back also on a one-year deal, per Mike Garofolo of the NFL Network. While there are no financial details released yet, his familiarity with Sean Payton’s system may have been the clincher.
Strnad has been with the Broncos since 2020. He got selected in the 2020 NFL Draft with their fifth-round pick. Injuries barred him from popping off early but he has picked up his production since. Coach Payton has assigned the linebacker to play in their special teams unit where has been doing a decent job.
For the Panthers, they still have someone with the same one-year deal. David Moore agreed to join Dave Canales’ team and will now catch passes from deep from Bryce Young.
What are the Broncos getting back?
They are getting a special teams ironman in Strnand. Since his unfortunate injury in 2020, he has not missed a game with the Broncos. The linebacker has played 17 games for them last season and put up relatively decent numbers. He notched five c0mbined tackles with only one of them being assisted.
This is a far cry from his production in 2021 but he has the chance to notch a starting spot with the Broncos again. In just five starts during his true first year, he recorded a quarterback hit, and 36 combined tackles with 23 of those takedowns only credited to him. He still has that insane upside and maybe the Broncos give him a shot to be a starter this year. After all, he has already earned a veteran acumen.
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