The Kansas City Chiefs will likely have a need along the defensive line if Jaye Howard and Mike DeVito leave the team in free agency. The Carolina Panthers have now released two of their own defensive linemen in DE Charles Johnson and DT Dwan Edwards.
Johnson is a 6'2, 282 pound defensive end who is 29 years old. He had his first big season after Julius Peppers left in 2010 and went on to earn a $72 million contract from the Panthers.
Dave Gettleman calls Charles Johnson "an impact player for a long time, both on and off the field."
— Joe Person (@josephperson) March 3, 2016
Edwards is a 34-year old defensive tackle listed at 6'3 and 302 pounds. The Panthers cut him to save $1.6 million against the cap which shows you how they value him. He was a 2004 second round pick by the Ravens and also spent time with the Bills.
Active day here - Panthers release DT Dwan Edwards, a valuable rotation player and mentor the past three seasons: https://t.co/twa1I1B5EZ
— Bryan Strickland (@PanthersBryan) March 3, 2016
Both players are coming from a 4-3 defense so I'm not sure how they fit. For Johnson, he really does look like a 4-3 defensive end and you usually don't want to take 29-year olds and switch positions. For Edwards, he is 34 years old. The Chiefs have their own older big man in Mike DeVito so they might as well go with the guy they know if that is indeed a need.