Jeremy Chinn has always been viewed as a super versatile defender that can play up in the box as an off ball linebacker or back in the secondary as a safety. But since his rookie season, he hasn't been nearly the playmaker thanks to multiple coaching staffs being unable to figure out where he fits best.
Back in the spring, new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero praised Chinn saying, "We think very highly of him. 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 that he's an asset for us to have. I don't want to get too much into the specifics but we value his skillset. He's a guy that can do a lot of different things. You just got to have him on the field and we're going to figure that out as we work."
That praise did not, unfortunately, carry over into the regular season. Chinn saw his usage rate on defense drop dramatically. In his first three years in the league, he participated in at least 90% of the defense's snaps for the season. This year? Only 39% of defensive snaps.
During a media cluster at exit interviews last Monday, Chinn was honest about his usage, calling it a surprise.
"I think that was really the most frustrating part for me personally. Coming into this season, I thought I wasn't going to come off the field. I thought I was going to have a huge role in this defense and be able to leave a large impact. But you know, as the season goes on, things change. It definitely was a surprise the way things ended up panning out."
Chinn is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and if Evero remains in place as the Panthers' DC, you can expect Chinn to move on from Carolina.
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