Panthers LB Denzel Perryman Suffers New Injury
Carolina desperately needed to address the linebacker room this offseason after having very little depth a year ago. GM Scott Fitterer went out and signed Haason Reddick, Frankie Luvu, and Denzel Perryman to bolster the second level of the Panthers' defense. Reddick came down with an interception on the opening drive of last week's preseason game vs Baltimore, and Luvu made a ton of plays including a batted ball at the line of scrimmage, a couple of QB pressures, and a forced fumble. Perryman remains the only one of the three that Panther fans have yet to see in a live game setting.
Shortly after arriving in Spartanburg for training camp, Perryman injured his hip and has been held out or very limited for the majority of the last three weeks. Finally, Perryman returned to action yesterday and was being slowly worked back into the defense. Unfortunately, he had a small setback.
"Yeah, he got stepped on yesterday," head coach Matt Rhule said. "So, he had a new injury yesterday unfortunately for him. The guy has worked hard to come back from the hip flexor and he was moving around and just got stepped on yesterday, it was kind of a freak deal. He was running to the ball hard, got stepped on so we're hoping it's not long but we're just being careful with him."
Perryman has dealt with injuries for much of his career but when healthy, he can pack a punch on defense, especially in the run game. In 69 total games with the Chargers, Perryman collected 349 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, five sacks, eight QB hits, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions.
That said, Jermaine Carter Jr. has taken advantage of receiving more reps in camp and has locked himself into the starting job according to Rhule.
"Jermaine is our starting MIKE. We like to play with a lot of guys but I think Jermaine Carter is one of our unsung -- one of our best defensive players all around. I think he's an outstanding player who also does everything right. I think we have a good plan for Denzel when he gets healthy but Jermaine is our starter for us."
The long history of injuries was a concern for the Chargers which is ultimately why they decided to not re-sign him. The Panthers knew of his injury history and knew that problems could pop up throughout the course of his two-year contract. However, that won't change the team's plans for him. Rhule still sees Perryman as someone who can be a key contributor to the defense.
"We signed Denzel for a reason. We know he's a good player. Injuries are injuries. As I've told guys, you can't control what happens, I'm just concerned with how you react to it. So as long as you're working hard to get back and you're taking notes you know, I think Denzel and I are on the same page with that."
Rhule said there is no timetable for how long this injury will keep him out but the hope is to have him back for Friday's preseason game vs Pittsburgh. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like something that will keep him sidelined for multiple weeks.
To get more of an insight on Denzel Perryman, we brought in Fernando Ramirez, who covers the Chargers for us here on Sports Illustrated/FanNation:
"Denzel Perryman is a thumper. He will make the big hits when most needed and make the opposing running back fumble. What he brings to the Panthers is a run-stopping linebacker who could put almost any offensive lineman on his behind. Perryman was also a leader in the Chargers locker room. Rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray said that any time he had a question he would go to Perryman even though they were clearly competing for a spot. Another area he will make an impact will be with the fans. In San Diego and LA, Perryman has been a fan favorite for years. During training camp, he always signs until he is told to stop. He also comes over and interacts with fans during practice. He will be loved very quickly. The two things that kind of hampered Perryman in LA were him not being able to be used on third down in coverage and health. In six seasons, he played 69 games out of a possible 96. He was injured at least once a season, which would hurt the progress he had made, but it could be freak accidents. Perryman needs to work on his coverage skills to stay on the field. Overall, Perryman will help the Panthers' defense and will be a fan favorite."
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