The Carolina Panthers are getting ready for the start of training camp and they just bolstered their secondary for the long term by giving safety Kurt Coleman a three-year contract extension. This deal will alter quite a bit for the backend of the Panthers defense and for the whole team.

Takeaways

If Coleman can live up to what he did in 2015, the Panthers aren’t going to miss much of a beat at all. Coleman’s seven interceptions led the team and nearly the entire NFL (No. 3 in the regular season).

While we don’t know the exact figures right now, it’s likely that Coleman came as a steal compared to what he did last season. With other safeties like Eric Weddle going for nearly $7 million a season, Coleman’s expected production should be a huge bang for the buck.

Solidifies the position

The Panthers are undergoing quite a transition with their secondary. They let cornerback Josh Norman go and selected three players in the 2016 NFL draft to help replace him. Add to that the signing of safety Trenton Robinson and there are a number of questions that will need answering during training camp.

By signing Coleman, the Panthers have answered one of them pretty soundly. While Robinson and Tre Boston will likely battle it out for the other starting safety spot, Coleman is going to be someone they can lean on for the foreseeable future. That is a commodity all by itself.

Opens up the roster

Now that Coleman has the job locked down, Carolina won’t need to carry as many players at safety for competition. While they will likely still want to have solid depth, they can have the confidence that Coleman can do the job.

What that ultimately does is allow the team to structure the rest of the roster around it. Maybe the Panthers want to keep more wide receivers or defensive linemen . . . with Coleman at safety, they can gamble on their depth there more than with a position that is less secure.

Helps next offseason

The Panthers were lucky in a way that they had so few players heading to free agency this offseason. The 2017 season isn’t shaping up to be so kind as the team has their biggest target, defensive tackle Kawann Short, as well as another 14 to try and work with.

Signing Coleman to a long-term extension frees up the team to focus on other players for this offseason and next. It might not make a difference for Short, but others like linebacker A.J. Klein, cornerback Robert McClain and right tackle Mike Remmers could benefit from having a little more negotiating time with the team.

Not only that, but signing Coleman now allows Carolina to know where they stand against the cap in 2017. With it expected to go up again next season, having more guys under contract now gives them a far clearer picture to play with.