CHARLOTTE, NC – The Carolina Panthers on Wednesday struck a deal with free agent cornerback AJ Bouye as they try to improve on their side game in this month’s NFL draft.
Bouye, Pro Bowler in 2017, will be suspended for the first two games of the 2021 season as part of the six-game ban he received last year for violations of league policy on performance-enhancing substances.
According to the league, he will be allowed to participate in off-season and preseason training.
Carolina signed Rashaan Melvin, a ten-year veteran cornerback, with a free agency deal a year earlier.
Bouye, 29, was released by Denver in February after appearing in just seven games due to injury and suspension. He was traded to the Broncos from Jacksonville in March 2020, after being a big part of the Jaguars ’career in the AFC Championship in the 2017 season.
Bouye entered the NFL in 2013 with Houston as an unwritten free agent. He played well enough to receive a five-year, $ 67.5 million deal with Jacksonville in 2017.
He had six interceptions this season in 16 starts. Since then, he has only two picks and last year he had none for Denver. In 69 early starts, he has 14 interceptions overall.
Bouye will likely headline Carolina against Donte Jackson, which is the final year of his rookie contract.
The former Florida center-back will compete with Melvin, probably on the right side.
The addition of Bouye diminishes the urgency of using selection number 8 in the draft in a corner. The team eliminated the need to draft a quarterback Monday after negotiating with the New York Jets for Sam Darnold, but general manager Scott Fitterer said that doesn’t stop him from using the eighth pick in that position.
“What we wanted to do to get into this draft through the free agency, through this trade with Sam, was simply get rid of all the needs we have,” Fitterer said Monday. “We wanted to get to a place where the roster was. In a good place, and we could get the best player at number 8.”