Like the players he drafted this weekend, Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan will remain versatile.
During his post-draft press conference on Saturday evening, Morgan was asked if the team remains interested in signing free-agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore. While he didn’t shoot that possibility down, he started by expressing his excitement over the corner they did just grab—fifth-round pick Chau Smith-Wade.
“First off, we’re really excited about Chau,” he replied. “He can play inside, he can play outside. So we liked his versatility. He’s good on special teams. I think he’s a guy that can really contribute and make us better. I think, obviously, at every position, we’re gonna look to improve—not just the corner position.
“But again, we’re gonna try to create depth and competition everywhere. And as far as Stephon, we’re not gonna close the door on anything and we’ll continue to talk and explore and see where that goes.”
Even with Smith-Wade in the fold, the Panthers are projected to start Jaycee Horn and Dane Jackson in the secondary. And between Horn’s extensive injury history and Jackson’s relative inexperience as a starter, Gilmore—even at 33 years old—may still be a very wise addition to the defense.
