Panthers Sign Otah and Stewart
July 25, 2008
Finally! The Carolina Panthers signed both of their first round picks, offensive tackle Jeff Otah and running back Jonathan Stewart, just in time to prevent a holdout from either player. This means that Otah and Stewart will be ready for the Panthers first practice on Saturday morning, and should be given the best opportunity to start, unlike last year’s number one pick, John Beason, who held out for the first two weeks of camp.
Outside of quarterback, offensive lineman have some of the steepest learning curves in the NFL, mainly because of the chemistry they must build with their teammates in order to be effective. That means that every day of training camp will be key if Otah is going to start at right tackle, and it is great the the Panthers were able to come to terms with Otah.
Stewart, though still important, does not have the same type of challenges that Otah faces. All he needs to do is come in and run through the tackles. All the blocking schemes and pass protection stuff can come later, mainly because the Panthers will use veterans DeAngelo Williams and Brad Hoover in those situations.
All that is known about Otah deal is that it is a multi year deal, Stewart however, signed a five year deal worth $10.8 million in guaranteed money. This also means that the Panthers have successfully signed all of their draft picks without any holdouts.
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