Carolina Panthers to target Chris Canty?

Chris Canty was recently released by the New York Giants, as the Giants let quite a number of players go this week. Canty attended high school in the city of Charlotte, and the Charlotte Observer lists Canty as one of the five potential free agent targets for the Carolina Panthers in the 2013 offseason.

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Joe Person also mentions that current Panthers GM Dave Gettleman (love his Boston accent, by the way) oversaw Canty while with the New York Giants as their pro personnel director.

The Panthers could release defensive tackle Ron Edwards as a cap casualty, but they still need help at DT badly even if they keep Edwards. Their group of defensive tackles is atrocious against the run and easily one of the worst in the NFL. In fact, the only starter on the defensive line as a whole who is above-average in run defense is young defensive end Greg Hardy.

Canty is known for his ability to rack up tackles, and he is above-average in run defense. However, he is primarily an interior pass rusher and even better in that regard, as he recorded five quarterback hits last season. More importantly, Canty has always provided the Giants with a consistent pass rushing source on the inside, and that’s something the Panthers could use in addition to his work against the run.

While Canty isn’t a perfect fit for the Panthers need at DT since he’s more of a pass rusher, he would still constitute a significant upgrade and is no slouch on run defense either.

Also, if Edwards is released, he would effectively replace Edwards as the team’s best interior pass rusher. I like Edwards, but he is making quite a sum of money, is awful against the run, and he is actually less consistent (but more damaging) of a pass rusher than Canty,

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