Tre’von Moehrig brings what the Panthers have been missing for years

The Carolina Panthers have a difference-maker in their safety room.

The Carolina Panthers are expecting veteran safety Tre'von Moehrig to provide an assured, tone-setting presence on the backend of their defense that was sorely lacking last season. And one respected figure around the league threw his support behind this scenario coming to fruition.

Second-year general manager Dan Morgan took an aggressive route to fixing Carolina's historically bad defense. The Panthers allocated their major financial outlays to assist Ejiro Evero's failing unit, and rightfully so. Most of the attention went to the trenches, but the general manager also identified Moehrig as a high-priority target for their secondary.

Moehrig got a decent contract from the Panthers. That brings raised expectations, but the former second-round pick has the tools to slot seamlessly into Evero's 3-4 base concepts.

Carolina Panthers have a tremendous player on their hands in Tre'von Moehrig

An unnamed NFL coordinator highlighted the skills Moehrig will bring to the table in Carolina when speaking to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. In particular, the coach outlined his ability to be utilized on blitz packages as something Evero must put to good use if the Panthers want to get a big return on their investment.

"Really productive last year. Better closer to the box. Took advantage of blitzing ability. Carolina will use that."

NFL coordinator via ESPN

Moehrig brings a level of instinctive dynamism that Carolina hasn't had since Jeremy Chinn. His ability to identify plays developing and move quickly to the contact point is going to help enormously. This becomes more significant against the run, where the Panthers couldn't stop anybody en route to conceding more than 3,000 rushing yards last season.

The TCU product won't be able to do it alone. Morgan is looking for another experienced safety between now and when Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars rolls around. Carolina also has growing faith in Demani Richardson and fourth-round rookie Lathan Ransom — two inexperienced players with some intriguing athletic intangibles.

Carolina's safety corps will only go as far as Moehrig takes them. He's the veteran on big money who's expected to become an integral part of the team's plans. And if Evero plays to his strengths, this could arguably be among the most important signings made by the Panthers in recent years.

Moehrig has heard the criticism about being overpaid. Don't be surprised if this motivates him enough to silence every hater emphatically.