Panthers Expected To Franchise DT Kawann Short

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Panthers are expected to use their franchise tag on DT Kawann Short in the coming weeks.

This doesn’t come as a big surprise, considering that Panthers HC Ron Rivera conceded a few weeks ago that they “probably will have to tag” short.

Teams can officially begin placing tags on players today, but often times they wait until closer to the deadline to do so, as this gives them some extra time to work on a potential long-term extension.

The franchise tag next year is projected (NFLTR) to cost the Panthers around $13.615 million guaranteed. However, this won’t prevent the two sides from working on a long-term deal that could come with a lower cap figure for next season.

Short, 28, was taken in the second-round of the 2013 NFL Draft and has played out the final year of his four-year, $4.630 million rookie contract. Short made a base salary of $1,036,410 for the 2016 season and is now in position to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent in the coming months.

In 2016, Short appeared in all 16 games for the Panthers and recorded 55 tackles, six sacks, a forced fumble and three pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 3 interior defensive lineman out of 127 qualifying players.

We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2017 Free Agents list.