Reich on Adding Help at Outside Linebacker: 'We've Been Having Those Discussions'

With Marquis Haynes Sr. out, the Panthers are considering adding to the room.

Will the Carolina Panthers add another outside linebacker to the mix? That's the one question every media member and fan of the team has been asking seemingly since the offseason began.

The Panthers passed up on some options in the second round of the draft to take wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, but did however, make a move up the board to select DJ Johnson out of Oregon. Johnson is viewed as more of a project than an immediate answer and after several practices, there hasn't been anyone on the roster who has created some separation for that starting outside linebacker spot opposite of Brian Burns.

On just the third day of training camp, veteran Marquis Haynes Sr. felt something in his back and has not been on the practice field since. The staff believed he would figure into the equation, but the longer he remains out, the more pressure it puts on the front office to bring in someone from the outside.

"It could impact it," head coach Frank Reich said when asked how Haynes' injury could impact their decision to bring in a free agent. "We got to see what kind of progress he continues to make because we were excited about the role he's going to play in our defense, so hopefully he makes good progress soon but we'll keep talking through that. Scott [Fitterer] and I have been talking through that a lot here in the last week. Since Marquis got hurt, we've been having those discussions. Don't want to jump the gun early, really want to see how it worked out with Marquis but keeping a pulse on that."

Earlier in the week, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero talked about the confidence he has in the current guys battling for the job.

"There's some great competition there. Yetur [Gross-Matos] is doing a great job, getting better. DJ [Johnson] is coming along. [Amare] Barno is coming along. Kobe [Jones] is doing a good job. As we get into camp and get more padded practices, get through some preseason games I think it will tell more of the story. But I really love the progression of those guys but we need somebody to step up and that's a fact."

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