Although not much else seems to be going right for Carolina this year, the struggling Panthers are set to return a major defensive starter after designating safety Jeremy Chinn to return from injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
After missing the required four games, Chinn has returned to practice and will have 21 days to get activated before he is returned to the season-ending IR.
The 2023 NFL season is an important one for Chinn, who is playing in a contract year this season. A strong rookie year set the tone for Chinn’s career after he finished second to Chase Young in Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020.
He displayed a nose for the football over his first two years. In addition to surpassing 100 tackles in each of those two seasons, Chinn totaled three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries (two for a touchdown), two interceptions and 10 passes defensed.
A Week 4 hamstring injury landed Chinn on IR last year, causing him to miss most or all of seven straight contests. Despite the extended absence, Chinn still finished fourth on the team with 70 total tackles and was tied for third on the team for passes defensed with six.
This year, the Panthers had shifted Chinn into a bit of a reduced role. While free agent signing Vonn Bell took over a full-time starting job next to Xavier Woods, Chinn found himself averaging less than 98% of the team’s defensive snaps for the first time since him rookie season, sometimes playing in less than half of Carolina’s defensive sets.
As Chinn’s role in the Panthers’ defense has changed and Carolina has found a suitable starting duo in Bell and Woods, the team began listening to offers on their former second-round pick. Before the Eagles brought in All-Pro Kevin Byard from Tennessee, Philadelphia reportedly held serious interest in taking Chinn out of Carolina.
In the end, though, Chinn remains with the Panthers. Despite the reduced role he’ll likely continue to see throughout the remainder of the season, Chinn needs to use this opportunity as an audition for the eventual free agency he is sure to face.
That opportunity will begin once the Panthers complete the chain of transactions necessary to bring him off of IR.
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