Former Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams safety Quintin Mikell has found a new home just before the start of the 2013-14 regular season. It was announced on Monday that the veteran defensive back was signed by the Carolina Panthers, as they look to bolster their depth in the secondary.
Mikell has a late start learning the scheme, but his familiarity with Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott will allow him to get a jump on the system and surpass former Oakland Raiders safety Mike Mitchell on the depth chart. .
To open up a roster spot for the 32-year-old safety, the Panthers placed Haruki Nakamura on injured reserve due to a concussion.
If the season were to begin today, Mitchell would still get the start, but you can’t count the veteran out with plenty of days left to prepare for the season-opener.
It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see him jump in to the starting line up within the first few weeks of the regular season.