The Panthers have signed 28-year old QB Derek Anderson.  Anderson played in 12 games (9 starts) for the Cardinals last year and he completed 169 of 327 passes (51.7%) for 2,065 yards with 7 TD passes and 10 INTs (65.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for 25 yards (5.0 ypc) last year.  Anderson has now played in 51 games (43 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has completed 756 of 1,436 passes (52.6%) for 9,148 yards with 53 TD passes and 55 INTs (68.8 QB Rating).  Anderson has also carried the ball 76 times for 205 yards (2.7 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has been to 1 Pro Bowl in his career and he certainly looks the part as he is a big guy with the rocket arm.  But, it’s above the shoulders where Anderson is lacking and that is darn hard to correct.  He has a 18-25 (41.9%) record as a starting QB.  The Panthers would have been better to bring in an older player with a better track record to tutor Cam Newton and Jimmy Clausen in 2011.

The Panthers have signed 27-year old linebacker Omar Gaither.  Gaither played in 14 games for the Eagles last year and he had 36 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss.  Gaither has now played in 67 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 289 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 18 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  This was a solid signing for the Panthers as Gaither is a pretty solid linebacker.

The Panthers have signed 28-year old safety Sean Considine to a 1-year deal.  Considine played in 14 games for the Jaguars last year and he had 52 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 71 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has 242 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 15 passes defensed and 4 interceptions.  Considine will provide depth in the secondary and he should be able to help out on special teams…but the Panthers could be in trouble if he’s forced into the starting lineup as he gets burned deep quite a bit.

UPDATE:  (9/5/2011) – The Panthers have released Sean Considine.

UPDATE:  (9/7/2011) – The Panthers have re-signed Sean Considine.

The Panthers have signed 38-year old kicker Olindo Mare to a 4-year, $12 million dollar contract.  Mare played in all 16 games for the Seahawks last year and he connected on 25 of 30 field goals (83.3%).  He also made all 31 of his extra points as he finished with 106 points last year.  Mare has now played in 216 games in his first 14 years in the NFL and he has connected on 328 of 403 field goal attempts (81.4%).  He has also made 436 of 441 extra points as he has scored 1,420 points in his NFL career so far.  Mare is a dependable kicker and the Panthers can’t afford to leave any points on the field, so I like this signing for them.

The Panthers have signed 31-year old TE Ben Hartsock to a 2-year deal.  Hartsock played in all 16 games (6 starts) for the Jets last year and he caught 1 pass for 7 yards.  He has now played in 88 games (39 starts) in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has caught 29 passes for 282 yards (9.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Hartsock is a good run blocker so he should be a good fit for the Panthers’ offense.

The Panthers have signed 32-year old NT Ron Edwards to a 3-year, $8.25 million dollar deal.  Edwards played in all 16 games for the Chiefs last year and he had 26 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 128 games in his 10 years in the NFL and he has 192 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and he has defensed 6 passes.  Edwards will give the Panthers a run plugging NT for the middle of the defense.  I like this signing for them.

The Panthers have signed 27-year old safety Kevin Payne.  Payne missed all of last season with the Rams as he injured his knee in the pre-season which he spent the whole year rehabbing.  Payne has played in 32 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 136 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions and he has defensed 12 passes.  This was a good signing for the Panthers as Payne will help the defense if he can stay healthy in 2011.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Panthers have released Kevin Payne.

The Carolina Panthers have signed 30-year old TE Jeremy Shockey to a 1-year deal.  Shockey played in 13 games for the Saints last season and he caught 41 passes for 408 yards (10.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  In his first 9 years in the NFL, Shockey has played in 121 games in which he has caught 510 passes for 5,688 yards (11.2 avg) with 33 TD grabs.  Shockey will give whoever is playing QB for the Panthers something they didn’t have last year, a very reliable target over the middle.  This is a really good first addition for 2011 for the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers have signed 26-year old safety Gerald Alexander.  Alexander played in 3 games earlier this season for the Jaguars and he had 16 tackles and 3 passes defensed.  In his first four years in the NFL, Alexander has played in 39 games in which he has made 159 tackles, defensed 14 passes, has 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 4 interceptions.  I like this signing for the Panthers as Alexander should be able to help out in both the secondary and on special teams.

The Panthers have signed 28-year old linebacker Abdul Hodge.  Hodge played in 16 games for the Bengals last season and he had 16 tackles and 1 forced fumble.  Hodge has played in 30 games in his NFL career and he has 29 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.  Hodge will likely back up inside at linebacker and help out on special teams.

UPDATE:  (11/6/2010) – The Panthers have released Hodge to make room on the roster for Jason Williams.

UPDATE:  (11/10/2010) – The Panthers have re-signed Hodge.