3 Panthers on Thin Ice After Major Defensive Coaching Shakeup

2. Jordan Fuller, Safety

If Tuttle was the most disappointing defensive signing of the 2023 offseason, Jordan Fuller holds that honor for 2024 signings. The Panthers brought the veteran safety in from the Los Angeles Rams to reunite him with Ejiro Evero who was the safeties coach and passing game coordinator there.

Reuniting with a familiar face didn't do Fuller any favors. In fact, the 26-year-old defender just had the worst season of his career, allowing a 93.3% reception rate and five touchdowns in coverage while giving up a 158.3 passer rating when targeted. He had six missed tackles and had no interceptions while registering only one pass breakup in nine games. As a result, he received the worst PFF grade of his career with 53.8 and finished as the 82nd-best safety in the league.

To be fair, Fuller suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for a while early in the season. He wasn't the same upon his return in the final eight weeks of the season. Considering how tricky hamstring injuries can be, perhaps it's wise to not overreact to Fuller's decline.

However, the Panthers already demonstrated how they felt about him later in the season by benching him in favor of rookie Demani Richardson in Week 16. The undrafted free agent was better than Fuller in his short stint as a starter and with a new defensive backs coach in Carolina, they may decide to give the young defender a shot over the disappointing veteran.