The Carolina Panthers or Baltimore Ravens may sign 27-sack free-agent edge rusher, Carl Lawson this summer. According to a report, Lawson is working out for the Panthers this week as the team is auditioning plenty of free agents this training camp. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals and has been racking up 20 sacks and 81 tackles in his career. However, he was struggling to stay healthy when arriving to the Jets in 2021 so his production has been dwindling.
The Panthers are also bringing in Yannick Ngakoue for a workout so they’ll see who would fit better in their defensive system. It seems interesting that Carolina is bringing in some edge rushers to possibly sign with the team since they’re already signing Jadeveon Clowney. Lawson is probably one of the most underrated free agents in the market today since he’s still 28 and has many years ahead of him. If the Panthers want to turn to a cost-effective option like Lawson on a one-year deal rather than Ngakoue then the option is there.
However, it wouldn’t be the worst idea being that they already have Clowney and Shaq Thompson as their main starting edge rushers. It’s probably logical to think that Ngakoue is more expensive and he’s looking more for a starting role. The Ravens are still looking for some edge-rushing help since Clowney isn’t returning to one of the best defenses in the league. Kyle Van Noy and Justin Madubuike are returning to help bolster this team’s defense so a cost-effective option like Lawson wouldn’t be an issue for the Ravens.
Baltimore is not in the same league as other teams that have the same cap space so Lawson could improve his game with them.
Panthers, Ravens May Sign 27-Sack Free Agent Carl Lawson
Other Potential Destinations
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have been all over the place with restructuring their offense to help Patrick Mahomes lead this season. Wide receiver and cornerback were the two biggest needs for the team this offseason so they didn’t get a chance to draft a legitimate edge rusher. It leaves the Chiefs to think that they could sign a late free-agent addition like Lawson to help put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Felix Anudike-Uzomah hasn’t been showing anything to the team but he was only a rookie last season.
However, a cheap Lawson would help in an event if Anudike-Uzomah doesn’t improve. The Chiefs are solid with bringing back Chris Jones but someone like Lawson on the left end would help cause more pressure towards offenses.
New Orleans Saints
Chase Young may be coming in on a one-year basis to help the Saints and their defensive woes. However, Lawson could be an extra help that they could steal on a two-year deal if they don’t see anything from Young anymore after one season. Seeing that the Saints aren’t doing much to improve their offense to help Derek Carr’s chances, they could effectively improve their defense. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed being the main source of weapons for Carr don’t look to give him good chances to stay on the field.
It may be safe to bring in tons of defensive free agents like Lawson for cheap to give Carr plenty of downs on offense.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys don’t have anything to lose so why not at least bring in Lawson to help with some edge help? He can go pretty cheap considering the team is gathering as much money to extend Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. The defense is looking different this year so they may as well bring in someone like Lawson to replace Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong.
