During his rookie season, it looked as if the Carolina Panthers found a hidden gem in safety Jeremy Chinn. Many believed, myself included, that he should have won NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. He finished second in the voting, falling to Washington’s Chase Young.
In his first three years with the Panthers, Chinn was used in multiple roles due to his versatility and developed into one of the team’s key defenders. With the arrival of new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, everyone expected Chinn to really take off and be a pivotal part of the defense moving forward.
Instead, it’s been quite the opposite. Chinn has only been on the field for 52% of all defensive snaps and hasn’t been much of a playmaker, largely due to the lack of opportunities.
Why is this?
“There is specialized packages for him,” Evero said a week ago. “We’re obviously trying to play him and Troy (Hill) at that nickel position and then have Jeremy in some of the dime positions. Getting more third downs is how we get him on the field obviously and then some of those specialized first and second down deals too. Our execution level, our ability to play the run game better and get into more pass situations is going to allow that to happen.”
I’m not exactly sure why the defense needs to get in more passing situations to get Chinn on the field.
He’s always been vulnerable in pass coverage and is someone who would benefit more from playing a large percentage of his snaps in the box. Regardless, not having Chinn on the field doesn’t make a ton of sense. Unfortunately for Jeremy, he suffered a quad injury recently that is expected to keep him sidelined for up to six weeks.
For a guy struggling to see the field in the final year of his rookie contract, it’s a tough spot to be in. So, will Chinn be in Carolina in 2024 and beyond?
My guess as of now would be no. The Panthers will want to allocate their money carefully and use it on receivers, possibly a tight end, and of course, re-signing Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu. Safeties are not valued highly around the league and Chinn’s low usage rate sends a signal to me that there’s not an ideal fit for him in this scheme.
