The Panthers have signed cornerback Ross Cockrell to a two-year, $6.8MM contract, according to his agents at Reign Sports Management (Twitter link).
Cockrell, 26, was sent to the Giants in a September 2017 trade that netted the Steelers a conditional seventh-round draft pick. A former fourth-round pick, Cockrell went on to start nine games for Big Blue, collecting three interceptions and grading as the NFL’s No. 39 cornerback among 120 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
As I noted when evaluating the NFL’s best defensive free agents, Cockrell stood out as a potential bargain option. In 2017, Cockrell finished first in Football Outsiders’ success rate, which measures cornerbacks on their ability to consistently stop opposing wideouts short of the sticks. In fact, Cockrell was one of only eight defenders who stopped a receiver short of a successful gain on over half their tackles a season ago, as FO’s Aaron Schatz recently tweeted, but the league has consistently undervalued him and his skill-set.
Cockrell will now join a Panthers secondary that also includes corners James Bradberry, Captain Munnerlyn, and Kevon Seymour, among others. Carolina reached an agreement with free agent Bashaud Breeland last week only to void the deal following a failed physical, while Daryl Worley (trade), Teddy Williams (free agency), and Ladarius Gunter (non-tendered) are also missing from the Panthers’ defensive backfield.
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Drat. He was one of the two or three guys I was looking at for the Vikings to sign to compete for the slot.