Brandon Boykin will have a chance for a fresh start with the Carolina Panthers. The team announced on Monday that it has signed the cornerback to a one-year deal.
Brandon Boykin gets 1-year deal from Panthers after a disappointing 2015 with the Steelers
The Steelers got just one start out of Brandon Boykin after trading for him in August, but the Panthers will hope for more from the cornerback.
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Boykin, 25, wasn't a huge investment when the Pittsburgh Steelers sent over a conditional late-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles in August in exchange for the cornerback, but Pittsburgh was certainly hoping for more. After playing in 48 games for the Eagles and racking up six interceptions in 2013, Boykin mostly sat on the bench for the Steelers until the final month of the regular season.
When he finally saw the lineup, he wasn’t a bad player for the Steelers, but started just one game and was mostly used in the slot, which has been the norm throughout the 5’10 cornerback’s career.
The question will be where Boykin fits in with the Panthers. While the cornerback has said that he wants to be more than just a slot cornerback, an outside starting spot doesn't seem like a job that the team would be willing to hand over to Boykin without some real competition for the role. The Panthers retained top corner Josh Norman by using the franchise tag on him this offseason.
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