The Carolina Panthers have lost starting free safety Charles Godfrey for the remainder of the season, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Godfrey tore his right Achilles’ during yesterday’s 24-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and two Panthers players stated yesterday that they thought Godfrey would be done for the season, and their fears have been confirmed by this report from Schefter. Godfrey is a key member of the Panthers secondary, and his speed makes him an important asset in coverage, particularly when it comes to defending the deep ball.
Carolina Panthers strong safety Charles Godfrey (30) gets taken off the field with an injury during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo beats Carolina 27 to 26. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Safety looked to be a strength for the Carolina Panthers once the team decided to sign Quintin Mikell, but the duo of Godfrey and Mikell is now done momentarily, at least. The Panthers also lost Mikell to an ankle injury against the Bills, and he most likely won’t play in Week 3. Those are two big blows at safety and in the secondary, and defensive back is a weak spot for the Panthers. Enough cannot be said for the woes the Panthers could have in deep coverage with Godfrey done for the year, and the Panthers starting safeties will now be Mike Mitchell and undetermined. Although they would lose some talent at CB by doing this, it makes the most sense for the Panthers to convert D.J. Moore to safety. Heck, maybe he could become the next great CB-to-FS convert in this league.
One thing that should be noted about Charles Godfrey is the fact that he is putrid in run defense, because he misses too many tackles. What bothered me to no end last year was the fact that the Panthers decided it would be a good idea to swap Godfrey and Haruki Nakamura from their natural positions by switching Nakamura to FS and Godfrey to SS. That made their weaknesses look worse and put a stranglehold on allowing both players to best use their abilities/strengths, and it was an underrated coaching gaffe that the Panthers made last season.
Godfrey is a quality free safety overall due to his coverage ability, and the 27-year-old was also a key leader on the Carolina Panthers defense. He will be missed, and the Panthers are already back to some more bad luck on the injury front this season with the two injuries they suffered at safety yesterday.
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