Getty Cordarrelle Patterson #84 of the Chicago Bears is dropped by Nate Ebner #43 and Sean Chandler #36 of the New York Giants.
The New York Giants‘ underperforming and undermanned safety group just got a bit thinner.
Defensive back Sean Chandler was a personal favorite of coach Matt Rhule during their stint together in the mid-2010s at Temple University and in the words of North Jersey Media Group’s Art Stapleton, it “was only a matter of time before they reunited in the NFL.”
Giants Lose Sean Chandler to Panthers
On Tuesday, their projected reunion became reality. Chandler will rekindle his relationship with Rhule in Carolina, as the Panthers have plucked the safety off of Big Blue’s practice squad.
Chandler has spent the majority of his 2020 campaign thus far bouncing between New York’s practice squad and active gameday roster. He had been protected on numerous occasions this year, but on a short week with numerous injuries spread throughout the roster, Chandler became susceptible to being pried away.
Overall, Chandler appeared in three games for the Giants this season, logging three defensive snaps and registering one tackle. He was used far more frequently on special teams, recording 40 special teams snaps over that span.
With Chandler no longer around, the Giants are left with the recently benched Julian Love, special team maven Nate Ebner and Adrian Colbert as the lone safeties behind starter Jabrill Peppers and hybrid defensive back Logan Ryan.
Colbert, who supplanted Love in the Giants’ starting lineup a few weeks back, missed Week 6’s game against Washington due to a lingering shoulder issue. If Colbert can’t give it a go on Thursday, don’t be surprised if rookie seventh-rounder Chris Williamson gets the call up from the team’s practice squad.
In other news, the recently signed outside linebacker Trent Harris, who was promoted to the Giants’ active roster for Week 6, has since reverted back to the practice squad.
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Chandler a Huge Fan of Rhule
Chandler originally signed with the Giants in 2018 after going undrafted out of Temple and quickly carved out a significant role, entrenching himself as a key special teams contributor. Over his 32-game career with New York, the 24-year-old Camden (NJ) native recorded 24 tackles and logged 531 special teams snaps.
Now in Carolina, Chandler will look to rewrite his pro trajectory from special teams ace to potential defensive difference-maker. Over his four seasons at Temple, Chandler snagged 10 interceptions. By the sound of it, he shouldn’t lack any motivation in his quest to do so.
“He makes you want to play for him because you know he’ll back you up each and every day,” Chandler said of Rhule back in late December of last year, per Newsday. “Coach Rhule, he’s definitely a lion at heart, so I feel like he’ll [succeed] wherever he goes.”
“I feel like he would be great,” Chandler claimed. “He’s a good coach, he’s able to connect with all his players and I feel like he’ll [succeed] in this league.”
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Panthers Steal DB from Giants in Inevitable Move: ‘Was Only a Matter of Time’