Kawann Short: 5 best fits in NFL free agency

Kawann Short has been a dominant force on the Carolina Panthers defensive line for years. Here are five solid landing spots for him in NFL free agency.

It’s all about winning in the trenches in the NFL. Outside of a dismal 6-10 season last year, the Carolina Panthers have been one of the better teams in the NFC thanks to a ferocious front-seven. One standout player from the extended position group is defensive tackle Kawann Short.

Short is a former second-round pick out of Purdue by the Panthers in the 2013 NFL Draft. He has started all 16 games up front for the Panthers the last two seasons, totaling 17.0 quarterback sacks and garnering a trip to the 2015 Pro Bowl.

Perhaps Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman prematurely parted ways with All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman last offseason, knowing that he’d need to fork up some dough to re-sign Short. Here are the five teams that should consider signing Short this free agency cycle.

5

Baltimore Ravens

AFC, North

The Baltimore Ravens need to make the AFC Playoffs this upcoming season. 2017 will be five years since their last Super Bowl run. General manager Ozzie Newsome has had plenty of time to rebuild John Harbaugh’s football team. It’s a make or break year for Maryland’s professional football team.

Baltimore unfortunately does not have the luxury of a cache of salary cap space. Newsome will only have $15,254,325 to improve his AFC North football club. One area that the Ravens could look to upgrade is at defensive tackle.

Brandon Williams will be hitting free agency. Baltimore could try to retain him, but could also look to improve that position group. The Ravens were stout in run defense, but need a potential star in the making up front like what Haloti Ngata was in his prime in Baltimore.

Short would be that guy Harbaugh would love to have in his front-seven. He can get after the passing in compromising the integrity of a passing pocket. Short can factor in running stuffing as well.

Baltimore may not be able to afford Short at this time, but will have its opportunity to increase cap space by cutting a few non-productive players. With Steve Smith Sr. coming off the books due to retirement, Baltimore stands to have an outside shot at landing Short this spring.