Panthers 2023 season opener countdown: 21 days to go

We’re counting down the days until the Panthers kick off the 2023 season.

We’re officially 21 days (just three weeks!) away from the Carolina Panthers kicking off the 2023 NFL season in Atlanta against the Falcons, so it’s time for our annual roster countdown to highlight the players on the Panthers’ roster. Today we’re continuing secondary week by taking a closer look at No. 21 — defensive back Jeremy Chinn.

Is he a corner? Is he a safety? Is he a linebacker? No, he’s super… wait, wrong story. Chinn is a defensive back whose career has been defined by two things: highlight reel plays and an inability by his coaches to pin down his position. Chinn is a highly athletic and instinctive, fourth-year player who has yet to find his permanent home on an NFL field.

Part of that may be due to the collection of college coaches he began his career under, but most of it is due to the fact that he can do most things well and has incredible nose for the football. It’s hard to assign him a defined role when he can plug and play across so many and when depth is so hard to find in the NFL.

He has started, somewhere or other on the field, in each of the 42 games he has played in for the Panthers and recorded 294 tackles, three sacks, ten tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, 16 passes defensed, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns—memorably, those scores came back-to-back within ten seconds of game time against the Minnesota Vikings in 2020.

What’s next for Chinn? It’s hard to say. The Panthers now have him listed as their starting nickelback, which means he’ll still see the field plenty, but may have more coverage responsibilities than he had in the past as a linebacker or safety. Whether that works for him or the team is something we’ll have to wait and see.

Scroll on down to the comments, Panthers fans, and let us know what you think about Chinn’s new role, his future in the league, and how he’ll fare with a professional coaching staff.