The Carolina Panthers lost Haason Reddick early in free agency and did not enter the draft holding a Day 2 pick. While the Panthers acquired a third-rounder, they used it to take quarterback Matt Corral. After addressing their top needs with their first two selections, the Panthers did not use one of their remaining choices on an edge-rusher and are somewhat thin at that position.

Brian Burns returns to anchor Carolina’s edge group, and 2020 second-rounder Yetur Gross-Matos has two years left on his contract, but the team is looking into help here, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Per Spotrac, Carolina has more than $26M in cap space, and several talented pass-rushers remain in free agency.

GM Scott Fitterer was with the Seahawks during Jadeveon Clowney‘s 2019 Seattle season. The Browns are interested in re-signing Clowney, a South Carolina native, but the former No. 1 overall pick is not in a rush. Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram and Trey Flowers are the other top names available. Flowers, 28, is the only member of the latter contingent south of 30. He also struggled while on his big-ticket Lions contract. The Ravens and Chiefs, respectively, placed UFA tenders on Houston and Ingram. This does not tie either player to those AFC teams, but both are entitled to 110% of their 2021 salaries. Whitney Mercilus and Ryan Kerrigan are also available.

Working in rotational roles in 2020 and ’21, Gross-Matos has six career sacks and 10 quarterback hits. The Panthers re-signed 2018 fourth-round pick Marquis Haynes, who combined for seven sacks in that span. The Panthers could see some of their salary-cap space turn into Baker Mayfield, but the team wants the Browns to eat a sizable chunk of the quarterback’s salary in a trade. Carolina should still have some free funds to pursue a veteran edge — likely on a one-year deal — should Fitterer, Matt Rhule and Co. deem Burns’ current supporting cast insufficient.

Burns, who is now extension-eligible, attended Carolina’s initial OTAs but is now working out on his own in Florida, per Person. He is expected to attend the team’s mandatory June minicamp. The Panthers picked up Burns’ fifth-year option for 2023, fully guaranteeing him a $16M salary next year. Teams are often hesitant about extending non-quarterbacks with two years of control remaining, but Fitterer has indicated a desire to extend Burns. The Panthers also have shown a willingness to do early extensions, having given Christian McCaffrey a record-setting deal when two years remained on his rookie contract. They waited until this offseason to extend D.J. Moore, who was to go into his fifth-year option season.

More must-reads:

Head coach Nick Sirianni couldn’t have asked for a better roster in his second year. After making the playoffs in his first season, expectations now increase for this Eagles team after a stellar offseason.

Adding talent in almost every position group, the Eagles brought in players such as A.J. Brown, Hasaan Reddick, Jordan Davis and Naboke Dean to fortify this roster. Those four players will all provide valuable snaps to this Eagles team, which already had a solid roster beforehand. They now boast one of the deepest roster, with only two possible weak links on this roster.

Defensively, this roster doesn’t have the greatest cornerback room. Of course they have Darius Slay, who played like a top ten corner this season. Outside of him, the room isn’t the most reliable unit. Players like Avonte Maddox will need to step up if they are going to strengthen. Offensively, their weak link is Jalen Hurts.

This isn’t saying Hurts is a bad player, but rather someone all eyes will be on next season to see him progress as a passer. Hurts boasted a 61.3% completion rate with 3,144 passing yards with just 16 passing touchdowns. That’s solid, but the Eagles need more big passing plays and passing touchdowns to take the next step as a franchise. There is another area that Hurts did excel.

His main strength was on the ground, with 784 yards and 10 TDs. However, Hurts will need to take a jump as a passer in order for this team to take the next step. Finishing 28th in completion percentage and bottom half of the league in QBR, Brown and DeVonta Smith are bound to help him elevate those numbers. Regardless, this team goes as far as Hurts takes them.

Even though Philadelphia has a stellar rushing attack, it will need to see Hurts make the big plays on third and long to keep drives alive, or thread the needle in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. The Eagles need him to hit Brown or Smith on a go route to get a big play. To do that, it’s quite frankly what it’s always been about for quarterbacks: pinpoint accuracy. But if there’s anything we know about Hurts, we know that he’s a competitor. He’s battle tested, as he’s faced some of the best competition at the collegiate and professional level, and is not going to back down.

The question remains though, regardless of how well Hurts performs in 2022, are the Eagles a championship roster? They should be. They have a lot of depth, and players on both sides of the ball that can become stars. Hurts also isn’t the only player that they need to see elevated play from. There’s plenty of young talent on this roster that haven’t solidified themselves yet.

With the veterans, they need to continue their high level play and be leaders for this team. Fletcher Cox surely isn’t the All-Pro player he used to be, but he doesn’t have to be. With the selection of Davis and Javon Hargraves’ emergence, he needs to do his part to lead that unit to being a top defensive line.

On the offensive line, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson are the two longtime veterans leading the Eagles. With Pro-Bowl guard Brandon Brooks hanging it up, Kelce and Johnson will need to hold this unit together and coach up the youngsters.

Will a lot of things have to go their way? Of course. That’s how it is for most NFL teams with championship aspirations. However, no champion was built overnight. This Philadelphia team doesn't face the most treacherous schedule, but will have some tests along the way. If players can take some steps, the roster remains healthy and the coaching staff does their jobs, the Eagles could position themselves to hoist their second Lombardi in the last ten years.

No one is calling it a holdout and the Panthers don’t seem to be overly concerned. But when a star player entering his fourth year misses OTAs, it’s a situation that at least bears watching.

Defensive end Brian Burns, coming off his first Pro Bowl season, has been working out on his own in Florida in recent weeks after attending the start of the voluntary OTAs, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Burns has been in communication with the team and is expected to be back for mandatory minicamp in June.

The Panthers recently picked up Burns’ fifth-year option for 2023, worth a guaranteed $16 million, according to Over the Cap’s projection. General manager Scott Fitterer twice this offseason has mentioned wanting to get a long-term extension done with Burns, the former Florida State standout who was the 16^th overall pick in the 2019 draft.

“Brian would be one of those priorities moving forward,” Fitterer said in March. “He’s a guy that’s come out and produced for us. I really like the leader he’s becoming, and the man that he is.”

Wide receiver Robbie Anderson missed OTAs last year, showed up for minicamp and training camp and signed a two-year, $29.5 million extension in August.

For an organization that wants to draft and develop its own players, the Panthers absolutely cannot let Burns get away in free agency. The Fort Lauderdale native just turned 24 in April and has been on an upward trajectory since arriving in the NFL.

Burns has posted back-to-back, nine-sack seasons to give him 25 1/2 for his career, the second-most for a Panthers player in his first three seasons behind only Julius Peppers’ 30. Burns has the most sacks among all players who entered the league in 2019, and his 26 tackles for loss are tied for fourth among those players.

The Panthers understand Burns’ impact, which takes on greater importance this year after edge rusher Haason Reddick signed a three-year, $45 million deal with Philadelphia after one season in Charlotte. And there’s little doubt Fitterer wants to get a deal done. The question is when.

The Panthers made 2017 first-round pick Christian McCaffrey the highest-paid running back in NFL history by locking him up in the spring of 2020, before the start of his fourth season. Marty Hurney was still the GM when McCaffrey was extended, which came during a changing-of-the-guard stage in franchise history following Luke Kuechly’s retirement and the release of both Cam Newton and Greg Olsen.

After Fitterer replaced Hurney last year, the Panthers picked up the fifth-year option for wideout DJ Moore, the team’s first-round pick in 2018. The Panthers waited until after Moore’s fourth season — in which he topped 1,100 receiving yards for the third consecutive year — before rewarding him with a three-year, $61.9 million extension.

The Panthers could take the same approach with Burns and target an extension for next offseason. But they risk seeing Burns’ price go up if he finishes 2022 with 12 sacks and goes to another Pro Bowl.

As for a few other topics …

Could the Panthers still be players for a veteran quarterback?

They could. Trading up to take Matt Corral in the third round won’t keep Fitterer from continuing to monitor the situations in Cleveland and San Francisco with Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo. Trade talks with Cleveland during the second night of the draft broke down when the Browns wouldn’t take on enough of Mayfield’s $18.8 million salary, per sources. But if Cleveland agrees to eat more of Mayfield’s money or if it cuts him, expect the Panthers to re-engage.

The situation with Garoppolo is similar to Mayfield’s in terms of the Panthers not wanting him at his current salary ($25 million). Complicating a potential Garoppolo deal different are the unknowns related to his surgically repaired shoulder and when he’ll be able to throw at full strength.

In the meantime, the Panthers can get their first look at Corral at this week’s rookie minicamp and see how Sam Darnold does behind a vastly improved offensive line during OTAs. Unless there’s an injury to a quarterback somewhere, Fitterer still has leverage — particularly with Cleveland, given the bad blood that developed between Mayfield and the Browns when they traded for Deshaun Watson. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Jacoby Brissett — not Mayfield — would be the choice to start if Watson is suspended.

The Panthers began the offseason wanting to upgrade at offensive line and quarterback. They’ve accomplished the former and might not be done with the latter.

Extra points

• The Panthers are interested in adding an edge rusher, but aren’t in any rush to do so. Fitterer has experience with Jadeveon Clowney from their time together in Seattle, and Clowney’s Rock Hill, S.C., roots could make the Panthers an attractive option (like Stephon Gilmore, who went to the same high school as Clowney). The 29-year-old Clowney likely isn’t in any hurry, either, given he can sign with a team before training camp and not have to bother with OTAs. Several other free-agent pass rushers remain available, including Trey Flowers, Justin Houston and Melvin Ingram. Having brought back Frankie Luvu and Marquis Haynes, the Panthers also could wait to see if any edge rushers become cost-cutting casualties this summer.

• Coming off consecutive, five-win seasons, don’t look for the Panthers to get much in the way of prime-time matchups when the NFL releases full schedules Thursday night. The Panthers had one prime-time game last year (at Houston in Week 3) and just two in Matt Rhule’s first season (vs. Atlanta, at Green Bay). Some prime-time possibilities this year? The defending Super Bowl-champion Rams, the Joe Burrow-led Bengals or either of the Tom-pa Bay matchups, I guess. But look for a lot of 1 p.m. ET kickoffs, which is not a bad thing for those writing on deadline.

• The Panthers have a pair of cross-country trips to Los Angeles and Seattle. If the NFL schedules them back-to-back, the Panthers likely would spend that week on the West Coast. That plan didn’t go great for Ron Rivera in 2016, when the Panthers lost at Oakland and Seattle while practicing at San Jose State after the Raiders’ game. Newton was infamously benched for the start of the Sunday night game against the Seahawks for not bringing a tie on the trip.

(Photo of Brian Burns: John Byrum / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A 31-year-old Ocala man was arrested and is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly holding adults and children hostage at gunpoint inside a Reddick residence.

On Tuesday, November 9, multiple detectives, deputies, and sergeants with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence along NW 29th Terrace in Reddick in response to reports of a hostage situation.

One of the victims inside the residence called 911 to report that adults and children were being held at gunpoint by Marvin Nathaniel Hamilton.

According to the caller, Hamilton had been holding everyone in the residence at gunpoint since the evening of Monday, November 8.

The caller told an MCSO detective that he had not spoken with Hamilton in five years. Allegedly, Hamilton accused the caller of being involved in the suicide of Hamilton’s father 25 years ago.

On the evening of November 8, the caller received a phone call from his son stating that he was stopping by to visit. When the caller’s son arrived at the residence, he was being held at gunpoint by Hamilton.

According to the MCSO report, Hamilton ordered the occupants of the house, which included adults and children, to be seated in the living room, and he ordered them not to use their phones.

Hamilton was armed with two handguns, and pointed the gun at the caller while accusing him of being involved in the alleged killing of his father.

The caller stated that Hamilton told him over a dozen times that, “I don’t think you’re going to make it through the night.” Hamilton allegedly interrupted the caller every time that he tried to discuss the suicide of Hamilton’s father.

A one-year-old child was among those being held in the living room, and permission was given by Hamilton for the child and another victim to enter the kitchen. The child dropped a cup, and Hamilton peered into the kitchen.

The caller and another victim jumped onto Hamilton, grabbed the firearms, and demanded that he leave the residence.

Hamilton eventually left the residence, and there was a gap of time between him leaving and law enforcement being contacted.

Hamilton later called his mother, and the call was placed on speakerphone while an MCSO deputy was present to overhear the conversation. Hamilton told his mother, “Y’all are tripping, you know why I did what I did.”

During that phone conversation, Hamilton mentioned that he was going to take his own life. Deputies rushed to Hamilton’s home and were able to apprehend him.

Hamilton told deputies that he visited the residence on November 8, and that he had a conversation in the living room until 5 a.m. He questioned why the victims would get law enforcement involved since “no one was hurt.”

Hamilton was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held without bond.

He faces 18 felony charges, including kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.

A 46-year-old Reddick man was arrested after disassembling and stealing a relative’s aluminum carport.

On Saturday, January 1, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a NW 59th Avenue residence in Marion County in reference to a theft.

Upon arrival, a female victim told the deputy that one of her relatives, Barry Bernard Ellis, had stolen her carport.

The victim stated that at around 3 a.m., Ellis had entered her yard and stole the carport after disassembling it.

She told the deputy that she was able to identify Ellis through video footage that was taken by her cameras which were recently installed.

The deputy was shown the video footage and observed a man in dark jeans and a red shirt disassemble the carport. The pieces were then taken to a parked vehicle on the roadway, though the vehicle was too far away from the camera for the deputy to properly identify it.

The deputy responded to Ellis’ last known address on NW 53rd Court Road in Reddick. A female at the residence stated that Ellis had not been home since Tuesday, December 28, and she told the deputy that she would contact MCSO once he returned home.

After conducting a computer check, the deputy discovered that Ellis had a prior grand theft conviction out of Marion County in July of 2008.

On Monday, the deputy returned to the NW 53rd Court Road residence and located Ellis. According to the MCSO report, the deputy identified Ellis as the man from the video.

Ellis denied taking the carport and told the deputy that he had been on the victim’s property on January 1 in order to “look at a recliner.”

When the deputy attempted to place Ellis in handcuffs, the report indicated that Ellis took a step away from the deputy and yelled for his girlfriend.

The deputy grabbed Ellis’ arm and he managed to get away. Ellis took a few steps, and the deputy was able to grab his body and escort him to the ground.

Ellis managed to get up again and ran toward the back of the residence. The backyard was heavily wooded, and the deputy caught up to Ellis and apprehended him.

The deputy conducted a pat-down search of Ellis and located a glass pipe in his front left pocket. The pipe was wrapped in a napkin and had a white powdery residue that later field-tested positive for cocaine.

Ellis was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $4,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for second degree petit theft along with misdemeanor charges for resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.