Will Bradley Bozeman Be Back with the Panthers in 2023?
When the Panthers signed Bradley Bozeman in free agency, there were some questions about where he would play. Would he stick to his natural position at center and trust Brady Christensen to play left guard? Or would they move Bozeman to guard and continue forward with Pat Elflein at center?
As the team entered training camp, it became clear that Bozeman would focus solely on playing center. The battle between him and Elflein was a good one but it came to an abrupt end midway through the preseason when Bozeman injured his ankle in a joint practice with the New England Patriots.
Bozeman made a quick recovery and was pretty close to 100% for the season-opener but the coaching staff continued to roll with Elflein, who held the job down for the first six games until he was put on season-ending injured reserve with a hip injury. This allowed Bozeman the opportunity he thought he would get when he signed with the team back in the spring - to start.
Elflein did a decent job but once Bozeman was inserted into the starting lineup, the offensive line and the offense as a whole improved drastically. They found their identity with Bozeman in running the football and being a physical heavy-handed offense.
"Bradley is great," said Panthers GM Scott Fitterer. "He's a great teammate, great leader, he's great in the community. He's one of the bigger centers in the NFL. He's very physical. He takes a lot off the quarterback's plate in terms of line calls and managing the line up front. Bozeman was a great addition. Really happy about him. We had a good talk this morning about his future. He's a guy that we would like back. I think he wants to be back and he's a part of our future."
Bozeman, 28, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The sense is that both sides want to continue this marriage well into the future, regardless of what happens with the head coaching search.
"We love this organization," said Bozeman. "Me and my wife, [Nikki], have felt like this city has really embraced us. This team has embraced us. The guys around this locker room are unbelievable. The front office, the coaches, everything is awesome here. We love it here. We want to be here. We hope we can be here. But at the end of the day, we understand if not."
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