We’re counting down the days until the Panthers kick off the 2021 season.
We’re only 10 days away from the start of the Panthers’ 2021 season, and since the Panthers currently don’t have a player wearing No. 10, today’s countdown piece will be dedicated to one of our most recent acquisitions (who will wear No. 92 for Carolina) — defensive end Darryl Johnson.
The Panthers traded a 2022 sixth-round pick to the Bills to acquire the 24-year-old Johnson (6-6, 250), who is entering his third season after being selected in the seventh round of the 2019 draft by the Bills. He played college football at North Carolina A&T.
Here’s a brief summary of his career with the Bills, courtesy of the Panthers’ website:
Played in 15 games for Buffalo in 2020. Totaled 14 tackles, including three for loss, and 1.0 sack and three quarterback hits. Added eight tackles on special teams, second-most on the team. Saw action in all 16 games for the Bills in rookie season in 2019. Posted 15 tackles and 1.0 sack.
The sixth-round pick going to Buffalo will be the higher of the two sixth rounders the Panthers currently own (their own sixth-round pick or the pick acquired from the Raiders in exchange for linebacker Denzel Perryman). The Panthers made this deal to pick up a player who has shown to have a knack for playing special teams after losing a lot of depth on their own special teams unit due to injuries.
Carolina also adds a long and lean edge defender who can spell Brian Burns and/or Haason Reddick for a few snaps per game if the need arises. We can expect to see Johnson on the field in some defensive packages in 2021, but it’s safe to assume that his biggest impact will be on special teams.
What do you think, Panthers fans? What are you expecting from Darryl Johnson this year? Do you think this was a good trade for Carolina? Why or why not? Share your thoughts with us!
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