CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Julius Peppers doesn’t want the job and rookie Everette Brown isn’t ready yet.
Enter Charles Johnson, Carolina’s starting right defensive end – for now.
The tentative promotion is another accomplishment following a rough beginning for the Panthers’ former third-round pick, who was inactive for the first 13 games of his rookie year.
After contributing late in 2007 as a pass-rusher on third downs, the Georgia product cracked the rotation last season and recorded six sacks as a reserve – second on the team to Peppers’ 14 1/2.
Now with Peppers skipping offseason workouts and indicating he wants to play elsewhere next season, Johnson has been lining up with the first team in offseason workouts.
“I’m a team player, I want Julius here,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I’m just trying to go out here and get better. I can’t decide what’s going on.”
the Panthers thought so highly of Brown they traded next year’s first-round pick to grab the speedy Florida State end in the second round.
So far Brown has been practicing with the second team at left defensive end behind starter Tyler Brayton. That’s left Johnson butting heads with Carolina left tackle Jordan Gross in Carolina’s offseason practices.
The athletic Johnson, a former basketball and tennis player, looks to have added bulk. He’s also in better condition, routinely finishing in the lead pack in the linemen’s practice-ending sprints.
“When you play more and you participate more in practice then you’re going to get better,” Johnson said. “It’s all about repetition. You have no other choice but to get better.”
Even if he has no idea what his role will be. Johnson, like most in the organization, has not spoken to Peppers, who made it clear after last season that he wanted to leave in free agency. The Panthers weren’t swayed and placed the franchise tag on him, limiting his options.
Peppers still hasn’t signed his one-year tender worth a guaranteed $16.7 million and is working out in Arizona.
Brown was drafted as an insurance policy if Peppers doesn’t report to training camp, but Johnson is the more seasoned player. At 6-foot-2 and 275 pounds, Johnson is the type of small, quick end that new defensive coordinator Ron Meeks thrived with in Indianapolis.
“Charles is a guy who’s really maturing,” linebacker Jon Beason said. “With this defense it’s going to allow him to play fast and free. He’s truly an athletic guy. I look for him to have a bigger impact this year.”
It’s far from his rookie season, where he struggled with his strength and couldn’t get into the rotation until injuries piled up late in the season.
“It was a numbers game,” said Beason, also in his third season with Carolina. “You had a proven veteran in Mike Rucker who was still here and obviously a freak in Julius Peppers. There wasn’t much room for him as a rookie. But it allowed him to get experience and maybe a chip on his shoulder to rebound and show what he can do.
“I look for him to be a household name this year.”
Johnson managed 30 tackles and 19 quarterback hurries last season while playing mostly on passing downs. He’ll now have to learn to defend the run and get a feel for Meeks’ new system, which calls for more pursuit and running to the ball.
And Johnson insisted he’s not worrying about the Peppers stalemate.
“I’m getting more reps,” Johnson said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
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