For some guys, making an impact on special teams may be the only way to get on the field early in their career. Playing well on that unit will ultimately lead to the coaching staff gaining confidence in playing said player on offense/defense.
This has been the case for Carolina Panthers safety Sam Franklin Jr., who has spent the majority of his three seasons as a key fixture on the special teams unit. Punter Johnny Hekker has been a tremendous free agent pickup for the Panthers, but if it weren't for guys like Franklin, many of those punts could go to waste if not played properly.
"I think he doesn't need to be in the conversation. I mean, it's not just the fact that he should be in the conversation, he should be going to the [Pro Bowl] game," vouched Hekker. "The guy, he's incredible. He makes plays. He gets doubled. He draws penalties in the doubles and still beats them and gets up and makes plays. It's really stuff that you've seen when you watch Matthew Slater tape and Matthew Slater has been to Pro Bowl after Pro Bowl. Sam is kind of carrying that badge of honor for us and he's working his tail off for every bit of success he's gotten. I'm just proud of him and the mantle that he's taken on himself to be a special teams leader for us and he's producing at a really high level."
Johnny is absolutely spot on. Franklin is consistently right up on the punt returner on every punt and positions himself to make a play just about every time Hekker boots one off his right foot. The play you see below is just one of the many reasons why he's widely regarded as one of the best gunners in the NFL.
"Sam has done a tremendous job and I emphasize and talk all the time about special teams is not an inconvenience. It's a major part of what we do," interim head coach Steve Wilks said. "I love the way he has embraced his role. He wants to play more at the safety position. All guys do. But his role on special teams is a critical part of our success. I think he's really put himself in line as really trying to be considered as one of the Pro Bowl players this year the way he's played."
Through the first ten weeks of the season, Franklin did not log a single defensive snap. Over the last two weeks, that's changed. He appeared in 42% of the snaps against Baltimore and 36% of the snaps in the win over Denver. Not only did he finally get an opportunity to play safety, but he made the most of it by combining for nine tackles and one tackle for loss. To be able to play as well as he did defensively and not drop off on special teams showed the coaching staff that he's more than capable to handle both responsibilities, meaning we will likely continue to see more of Sam on defense as the season goes.
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