“He’s a great player,” Paul added. “So, definitely rooting for him.”
Former Panthers OL Brady Christensen has been a free agent all offseason after tearing his Achilles halfway through last season. The veteran was recently cleared for contact; however, this opened the door for him to land with a team. While the Panthers have stayed in touch and a reunion would make a ton of sense, Christensen didn’t necessarily commit to a return to Carolina, noting he wanted the best opportunity to compete for playing time.
“I think my ideal situation is to go in and compete,” Christensen said via Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer. “I don’t care about what position I play; I feel comfortable everywhere now. So the ideal situation is just go and compete and find the field again. Being able to play on Sundays is my goal.”
Christensen told Kaye the rehab from his Achilles was tough, and three months ago, he didn’t feel ready to sign with a team. Ultimately, he and his camp felt that being patient would be his best play.
“I wanted to be patient,” Christensen said. “I want a good opportunity. I’m excited to get back on the field and kind of continue on the success I had last year. And I’m just really excited to prove myself, stay healthy, and just really have a good rest of my second half of my career, however long that may be. I’m excited to get back out there.”
Over five years with the Panthers, Christensen has started 34 games at virtually every position up front, making him a rare five-tool offensive lineman. Going forward, he’s happy to embrace that aspect of his skillset rather than looking to focus in on one position in particular.
“I pride myself on being a team-first player, and I feel like I’ve been that with the Panthers for the past five years,” Christensen said. “If the center goes down, but I’m playing tackle, I’ll go play center. And if the guard goes down, and I’m playing center, I’ll go to guard.”