The Carolina Panthers agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran inside linebacker Bobby Okereke on Saturday, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Okereke's arrival coincides with an open-ended starting competition opposite fellow free agent addition Devin Lloyd. Trevin Wallace, a 2024 third-round pick, and Claudin Cherelus battled throughout the summer without a clear winner in the competition being named following training camp and the preseason. Given Okereke's experience as a starting middle linebacker for two franchises, he could leap both Wallace and Cherelus in the pecking order ahead of Week 1.
Okereke was out of football the entire offseason, but the 30-year-old linebacker spent the past three seasons in the middle of the New York Giants' defense. Prior to his arrival at the Meadowlands, the Stanford alum played four years in Indianapolis as a 2019 third-round pick of the Colts. He has accumulated 805 total tackles (34 for loss), 7.5 sacks, 36 pass breakups, seven interceptions and 11 forced fumbles in his previous seven NFL seasons.
Last season, Okereke played and started in 17 games, collecting 143 tackles (two for loss), a sack, six pass breakups and two interceptions for New York.