Panthers May Want to Consider Reunion Trade for Raiders S Jeremy Chinn

Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) reacts after the game against the Dallas Cowboys Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Panthers May Want to Consider Reunion Trade for Raiders S Jeremy Chinn

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated May 23, 2026 6:00 AM ET

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It's hard to say why Jeremy Chinn fell out of favor with the Carolina Panthers, and with Ejiro Evero. He was excellent in his rookie season, but his usage slowly declined, especially when Evero got into town. That was always a curious trend.

Chinn was a Swiss Army Knife that Evero would ordinarily have great use for. The sort of player who has an interception, five breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a sack, and 117 tackles (his rookie stats) as a safety is exactly the type of chess piece that would've worked well in Evero's system.

Nevertheless, another body on the back end now, especially one who can move around the defense like Tre'von Moehrig can, would be nice. Even with Lathan Ransom, Nick Scott, and Zakee Wheatley in town, Chinn's unique skillset could be useful.

According to PFF, he's one of 15 candidates to be traded as OTAs ramp up. The Panthers might want to admit their mistake and call the Las Vegas Raiders to try adding Chinn to the roster.

The Panthers should trade for Jeremy Chinn

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It's rare for a team to have a good player, let that player walk after curious management, and then trade for said player later on. Reunions in the NFL aren't all that common. But the Panthers could and maybe should break history to bring Jeremy Chinn back.

He was such a promising player who has since fallen off. However, according to PFF's Bradley Locker, he can still contribute to an NFL defense, and the Panthers should take note of that fact.

"The former second-round pick played to a 67.7 overall PFF grade in his first campaign in Las Vegas, his best since 2021. Chinn’s 69.5 PFF run-defense grade placed in the 67th percentile at the position, and he missed a modest 9.9% of his tackle attempts," Locker wrote.

The Panthers love being able to stop the run and have gone to great pains to build their defense up to be able to do so. Chinn would fit right in with that new mantra.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Because the Raiders drafted Treydan Stukes, a similar do-it-all defensive back to Chinn, the former Panthers star may not have a place. He'd be cheap, and he'd be a useful addition to a defense that's still missing some pieces.

He might not start, but he could take some reps at safety and linebacker, helping to alleviate the stress on the second safety spot and second linebacker spot.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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