The Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers may be favorites to land former Pro Bowler, Anthony Barr before the upcoming season. According to a report, one source is encouraging the Green Bay Packers to bring in the former rival to give them depth. However, there are a few veteran linebackers like Shaquille Leonard but Barr may be the cheapest among all of them that can come in on a one-year deal. Kwon Alexander may be out there but Barr is aging so it looks like he could play harder before he retires and takes a veteran discount.
The Ravens are still in a mix for a linebacker even though they have Roquan Smith but no one with experience opposite of him. Kyle Van Noy is a fit but they need someone with veteran status to be opposite of Smith. Plenty of Vikings fans remember Barr for the legendary status he was able to put up so it’s not like he doesn’t deserve another opportunity. He has a lot to provide for a team for a minimum of four years if he decides to retire from the league.
Barr was a problem against many offenses including against Aaron Rodgers for disrupting his ball and getting after him. Injuries have been dwindling his career so he hasn’t been the same player he was a few years ago. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall rating of less than 63.0 in every season from 2019 through 2022. However, the Packers don’t look to bring in Barr since they’re rebuilding with Edgerrin Cooper under Jeff Hafley’s defense.
The Panthers are in the same mix for a veteran linebacker despite signing Jadeveon Clowney this offseason. They may have Shaq Thompson but should bring him in for veteran insurance.
Ravens, Panthers May Be Favorites To Land Former Pro Bowler Anthony Barr
Other Potential Destinations
New Orleans Saints
The Saints need all the help they need to help lead this lackluster team close to playoff contention. New Orleans’ offensive outlook doesn’t look good for Derek Carr’s chances of being the starter any longer so they should continue rebuilding the defense. It doesn’t hurt to try to recalibrate and focus on one end of the side while the offense figures out what they’re doing. The Panthers were able to do this with Cam Newton about a decade ago so it’s something they should be able to pull and shock the league.
The offense with just having Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and running back Alvin Kamara isn’t gonna help Carr at all. The least they could do was hold their breath to make one last additional move to improve their defense. Saints are in cap hell but Barr should be available at a discount.
Los Angeles Chargers
The linebacker position isn’t the biggest need for the Chargers since they’re bringing back Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. They’re never doing any wrong if add one more veteran in case one falls between the cracks. Eventually, Mack and Bosa are going to get pricey in the future so they might as well have a veteran on the shelf.
Dallas Cowboys
No one has a clue as an NFL of what the Cowboys are doing any more this offseason. Eric Kendricks was their only new addition this offseason but they’re lacking depth at the linebacker position. Barr would be a nice addition considering the history he also has with Mike Zimmer. Dante Fowler Jr. and Leighton Vander-Esch aren’t coming back so it would be a nice segway to begin a new era for Dallas’ defense.
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