Carolina Panthers: 5 Best Moves So Far in 2016

Feb 5, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; General view of Carolina Panthers helmet and NFL Super Bowl 50 logo helmet at the Golden Gate bridge. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; General view of Carolina Panthers helmet and NFL Super Bowl 50 logo helmet at the Golden Gate bridge. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) hugs cornerback Josh Norman (24) before Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos at Levi /

1: Franchising Josh Norman

Norman’s play at the cornerback position was special this past year. He kept his side of the field relatively clean. If he had gone there would be no guarantee that the Panthers could found a replacement for him that could do the things he can do.

More from Old North Banter

So it was important for the Panthers not to lose him. While a long term deal would have been more desirable for the sake of stability, the franchise tag was the cheaper option this year. Norman, to his credit, has said that he will not hold out from training camp as some players have chosen to do when they were franchised.

So the Panthers have the important elements of their defense back. They have adequate depth on the defensive line. They have their best secondary player coming back and hopefully Bene Benwikere will be healthy too. The blue print looks familiar.

Next: Panthers Twenty Year Team

All that is missing now are the details, and the place that provides those details is the NFL Draft. We are still about a month away from that event, so enjoy some basketball in the meantime.