passed on."Defensive tackle was not on the list of top five needs for the Panthers at the time but the Panthers brass felt defensive tackle Vernon Butler was a value at the No. 31 overall pick. At the time it seemed like a pretty good pick.After three seasons it’s not looking like a good pick. Butler has shown improvement but so far he looks very average Matt Paradis Jersey 2019 , like a player you could have gotten in the fourth or fifth round. Pro Football Focus has his season grade at 64.5, that of an average or slightly above average player. While I’m not completely soured on Butler I am a little bitter at the players we could have drafted instead.Can we agree defensive end was one of the top five needs in 2016? Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (32) went off the board at the top of the second round. Cornerback Xavien Howard (38) was there too. He would have paired more nicely with second rounder James Bradberry (62) rather than third rounder Darryl Worley (77), who we traded up for by the way. That pick could have instead been guard Joe Thuney, but I digress...If the Panthers truly felt they needed another defensive tackle then they completely missed on their assessment of Chris Jones. Jones has now developed into one of the top defensive tackles in the league. He’s number nine on PFF’s list of top performing interior defenders.Our own Kawann Short is No. 16 on this list. More importantly Jones is second in the NFL in sacks with 15.5. Butler has five tackles and half a sack on the season. Maybe we should call him Vernon ‘Half Sack’ Butler but for a different reason than his namesake on Sons of Anarchy (we assume).Butler is actually being outplayed by 32 year-old Kyle Love. Love was on the PFF Team of the Week for his performance against the Falcons.As we wind down a very disappointing season I can’t help but wonder what went wrong. We know the answer is not simple. It’s a lot of little things. Failed draft picks always factors into a season like this. The Panthers have done pretty well in the first round of the draft over the history of their franchise. I can’t say 2016 was one of those drafts. SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Linebacker Thomas Davis wants to play for the Panthers beyond this season — if the team will have him back.The 35-year-old Davis, who is entering his 14th season with Carolina Blue Eric Reid Jersey , will be an unrestricted free after this season.“If the team is willing to have me back, I will be back,” Davis said Monday following training camp practice at Wofford College.Davis, the Panthers’ all-time leading tackler, will begin the season serving a four-game NFL-imposed suspension after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance — a blemish on an otherwise stellar NFL career that has included returning from three torn ACLs in the same knee to earn All-Pro in 2015, three Pro Bowls selections (2015-17) and the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.He doesn’t want to end his career serving a suspension during his final season.“I just look at the way things transpired this offseason and I think back to my legacy and the things I have been able to do as a football player and I don’t want to leave on a sour note Eric Reid Jersey 2019 ,” Davis said. “You never want to walk away from the game knowing you served a four-game suspension. That is really my mindset right now. So as long as I am able to continue to play football I will do that.”With Davis sitting out the first four games, Shaq Thompson will fill Davis’ spot at weak side linebacker and David Mayo is expected to start at strong side linebacker. It’s unclear at this point if Davis would be in the starting lineup when he returns.Davis is allowed to participate in all practices and preseason games, but must step away from the team altogether on Sept. 3. He plans to spend that time staying in shape and watching his sons play youth football.He also has “a couple of offers” to do some other things during the first four weeks of the season, but would not elaborate on whether those opportunities television-related.Davis has been a productive player for the Panthers despite suffering the three knee injuries in consecutive seasons — 2009, 2010 and 2011 — which limited him to nine games and threatened to end his career.But he persevered and followed that up with five straight 100-tackle seasons and three Pro Bowls.However, his numbers dropped off last year. Davis registered 76 tackles Blue Ian Thomas Jersey , 2 ½ sacks and no interceptions as Thompson took on a bigger role in the defense.Panthers coach Ron Rivera did not address Davis’ future beyond this season, saying only “Thomas has been a great player for us. And I look forward to Thomas playing for us.”Panthers general manager Marty Hurney was not immediately available for comment.With his future beyond this season up in the air, Davis said he is enjoying every moment of training camp despite the sweltering heat.“I come out and embrace it every day, talking trash at a high level every day to Cam (Newton) daily and just coming out and competing and having fun with my teammates,” Davis said.