Mario Addison

A somewhat late bloomer, Addison has emerged as the Panthers' most consistent pass rusher in recent seasons. After 16 sacks through his first eight NFL campaigns, Addison has gotten to the quarterback 29.5 times over the last three years. That includes nine sacks last term, when he posted 35 tackles overall. Now entering a contract year, Addison will aim to maintain his performance level, and could be helped by the additions of former Pro-Bowler Gerald McCoy, rookie first-rounder Brian Burns and fellow veteran Bruce Irvin along Carolina's defensive front.

An unsung sack artist across the league, Addison posted a career-high 11 quarterback takedowns last season. He also posted a new best of 44 tackles, making quite the impact while being surrounded by more heralded names in Carolina's accomplished defensive front.

Addison is a rotational defensive end that specializes at rushing the passer. In both of his past two seasons with the Panthers, Addison has finished with 23 tackles, but that included 6.5 sacks in 2014 and 6.0 last year. Moreover, Addison’s 2016 production came in just 14 games. Judging by those numbers, Addison can seemingly be counted on for a handful of sacks, but not much else.

Coming off a career-high 6.5 sacks last season, Addison is expected to continue in an expanded role for the Panthers. Although his 44 total tackles over the past two seasons is underwhelming, the 27-year-old's emergence as a pass rusher is intriguing heading into the upcoming campaign.

Will provide depth at defensive end this season.

Addison was released by the Redskins mid-way through last season and will serve as a reserve defensive end with the Panthers.