Panthers sign Charles Tillman: Does he have anything left?

The 34-year-old cornerback is well past his prime, but still can help the Carolina Panthers on a one-year deal.

The Carolina Panthers have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran cornerback Charles Tillman, according to a report from Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.

Panthers announce one-year deal for veteran cornerback Charles Tillman
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 9, 2015

Tillman spent his first 12 years in the NFL as a member of the Chicago Bears, where he put together a spectacular career. In 156 career games, Tillman has recorded 36 interceptions, returning eight for touchdowns, and forced 42 fumbles.

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Injuries and age have limited Tillman severely over the past two years. Tillman has only appeared in 10 games over the past two years due to triceps injuries after appearing in no fewer than 14 contests from 2005-2012.

That’s an injury that can be recurring and have a long-term impact on a player, particularly who is Tillman’s age. Still, this makes sense for Carolina as a high-reward move with basically no risk attached.

As evidenced by his impressive career stats, Tillman has an ability to force turnovers that few were able to match during the time frame. In eight games in 2013 before the original triceps injury, Tillman recorded three interceptions and forced three fumbles, despite being far past the peak age of a typical cornerback.

The Panthers entered 2014 with little experience in the secondary, but a couple of young cornerbacks showed surprising upside. Josh Norman was excellent over the last half of the season, while fifth round pick Bene Benwikere looked very promising.

Carolina will likely draft another cornerback or safety. Adding a veteran like Tillman to that group as a depth piece makes some sense for the Panthers.

Best-case scenario, Tillman somehow rediscovers his healthy youth and does enough to start opposite Norman, allowing Benewikere to slide over to the slot where he could truly excel. The chances of that happening are not very good, but the upside is high enough to justify the one year and likely low amount of money Tillman received from the team.

Worst-case, Tillman finds out that his injuries are too much to overcome at 34 years old, and doesn’t make the team. Carolina wasn’t counting on him to be a starter anyway and loses very little.

The reality is likely somewhere in between. Tillman should have enough left to get some snaps as a third corner and may be able to force a few turnovers while providing a solid veteran depth piece to a young group on a team with enough talent elsewhere to win its division again, if not more.

The odds are against Tillman being able to return to even his 2013 level, but the minimal risk is worth it for the Panthers.

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