Jeremy Chinn will join Frankie Luvu in making the trek from Charlotte to Washington. The Commanders continue their run on defensive additions with the ex-Panthers safety, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
The four-year Carolina starter will be tied to a one-year deal that can max out at $5.1M. Considering where Chinn’s value stood going into last year, this is a bit of a disappointment. But the former second-round pick will have a chance to reestablish his value in Washington.
It is certainly interesting the Carolina-to-Washington pipeline will continue without Ron Rivera, though ex-Panthers GM-turned-Commanders exec Marty Hurney was in place when Chinn was drafted in 2020.
The former Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up has seen his stock dip, falling out of favor with the Panthers. But he generated trade interest following Matt Rhule‘s firing. At 27, Chinn should still have some time to prove he can return to his early-career level.
Working in a hybrid role that featured extensive linebacker work, Chinn combined for 224 tackles (eight for loss) and three forced fumbles from 2020-21. An injury slowed Chinn in 2022, and he did not prove a good fit in Ejiro Evero‘s defense.
The Panthers reduced Chinn’s workload a month into last season, and even though he made two starts down the stretch, the 2-15 team kept his snaps low. Chinn will be looking to bounce back.
This agreement may soon lead to Kamren Curl departing. The young safety came into the tampering period as one of the top defenders available, but the team still has 2023 second-round pick Quan Martin and Darrick Forrest.
With Xavier McKinney signing for $17M per year, Curl will likely be targeting a deal in that neighborhood. It will be interesting to see if another team will consider that kind of contract for a safety, given the cheaper options available. But Curl is probably the best option left.
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