Options thin for Panthers in DT search

[Rod Butsecks]

(By Charles Chandler, [email protected]) As the Carolina Panthers explore options for filling their glaring need for defensive tackle help, one possibility is that nothing dramatic will happen.p/There's been a growing sense of anticipation, of waiting for the cavalry to come to the rescue, since Maake Kemoeatu ruptured an Achilles tendon early in the first training camp practice.p/Middle linebacker Jon Beason and defensive end Julius Peppers have let it be known publicly (Beason directly and Peppers more subtly) that the players are hoping help is on the way.p/General manager Marty Hurney is remaining mum about the matter, as he routinely does, but it's almost certain he hasn't been able to give anyone any assurances. It's just as certain that he and his staff are doing everything they can to come up with a viable player.p/Defensive tackles are among the most treasured and hard-to-find players in the NFL. There are few available now among the unemployed, and it's hard to predict whether viable options will surface before the regular season.p/The Panthers' need, no matter what team officials might say, is a borderline emergency situation. Damione Lewis is a very solid starter, but there's not another veteran on the team and the most highly drafted young player, third-round rookie Corvey Irvin, might not be ready to be a major contributor.p/Undrafted rookie Marlon Favorite has been a pleasant surprise, and Nick Hayden is a steady rotation player, but as a whole, this group looks more like what you'd expect to see on an expansion team.p/The Panthers have high expectations. They're coming off a 12-4 season and return 20 of 22 starters.p/The defensive tackle problem is significant enough to have a huge impact on their chances of making another postseason run, especially since they will play a difficult schedule that will open with games against teams with top running backs capable of taking advantage of the weakness. The Panthers will start out against Philadelphia and Brian Westbrook, then face Atlanta (Michael Turner), Dallas (Marion Barber and Felix Jones) and Washington (Clinton Portis).p/The situation is exacerbated by the uncertainty of whether Beason, a Pro Bowler who's key to the run defense, will be ready for the start of the regular season after spraining a knee last Saturday at Miami.p/The coaches' tape breakdown of the young defensive tackles during the first two exhibitions probably showed some promising things, but also plenty of obvious limitations.p/ldquo;We're hanging in there,rdquo; said coach John Fox. ldquo;The guys are improving. That's what we look for.rdquo;p/When told there is a perception that there's a blinking red alert light signaling the Panthers' problems at defensive tackle, Fox said he can't pay attention to or influence what people say.p/ldquo;We've got what we've got,rdquo; he said. ldquo;I feel comfortable with the guys we have. We've just got to do our best to improve them.p/ldquo;What's out there (from other teams, etc.), and what's attainable, I can't answer.rdquo;p/Carolina officials will know more soon. NFL teams must cut their rosters from 80 to 75 players Tuesday and to the regular-season maximum of 53 on Sept.5.p/The Panthers have four primary routes for getting help at the position. Here's a breakdown of each option:p/strong1) Make a trade/strongp/This likely gives the Panthers the best chance of obtaining the best possible player who can start immediately. This is the route they took two years ago when they needed safety help and dealt with Chicago to land current strong safety starter Chris Harris.p/Carolina doesn't have to wait until the cutdown date to make a trade. The catch, however, is that teams generally aren't looking to deal away quality defensive tackles.p/One viable option who might be available is Cleveland's Corey Williams. He had two solid seasons in Green Bay as a penetrating 4-3 defensive tackle but now is a misfit as an end in the Browns' 3-4 scheme.p/Carolina plays a 4-3, but Williams might not be an ideal fit in the current situation. He doesn't duplicate Kemoeatu's run-stopping skills and is more similar to Lewis, relying more on quickness than brute strength and bulk.p/strong2) Make a waiver claim/strongp/Once final cuts are made, players with less than four years' experience go into a waiver system. Teams can put in claims for players they want.p/The Panthers' chance of getting one of the better released defensive tackles is limited because they're so far down the selection order. They would get the 28th preference (out of 32 teams) on any player, based on their spot in the 2009 draft.p/strong3) Sign a released veteran/strongp/Any players with four or more years' experience who are among final cuts immediately become free agents and can sign with the team of their choosing.p/strong4) Sign a player already available/strongp/There's very, very little to choose from among what are known as ldquo;streetrdquo; free agents. There has been some talk about former Jets and Broncos defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson, a former first-round pick, but he's had injury problems and wasn't very productive last year in Denver.p/Bottom line: The Panthers are ndash; and will be ndash; fishing, but the pond doesn't appear to be well-stocked.

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