In OTAs, Carolina Panthers safety Tre Boston vowed he wouldn’t lose his starting job like he did last year.
At training camp, coach Ron Rivera said Boston had taken himself to “the next level.”
So why were Michael Griffin and Colin Jones splitting snaps with Boston last week in Atlanta?
He's not sure.
“I think I've played well,” Boston said this week. “If you look up stats, I don't really think anybody went deep on us the first three games. I don't think I was really tested deep, but I wasn't doing enough I guess.”
He’s right. Denver’s Trevor Siemian, San Francisco’s Blaine Gabbert and Minnesota’s Sam Bradford rarely attempted to stretch Carolina’s defense. So if safety play was judged solely on a not allowing receivers to get deep in a few games, Boston didn’t do much to lose his job.
There’s more to it, of course.
As Matt Ryan proved, the NFL has better quarterbacks and more dangerous passing games than the Panthers faced in their first three games. And as the front office and coaches showed with Bené Benwikere’s release, they only have so much patience with a player who doesn’t do his job in a zone defense.
The Panthers remain intrigued by Boston’s playmaking ability, but they're frustrated by his inability to eliminate mental errors and his propensity to be out of position.
“The hard thing for Tre is this is his opportunity, this is his chance, and there are a lot of things going on, and he’s learning,” Rivera said. “With those young corners and Tre out there it’s a lot of young guys. We’re trying to find some veteran guys we can mix in.”
Which is what Boston, 24, was told 13 days ago when the Panthers brought in Griffin. The 10-year veteran certainly wasn’t signed for his speed. It’s more of a trust factor. And if he can be a steadying presence at strong safety, Kurt Coleman can slide back to where he broke out last season at free safety, at least on first and second downs.
But Rivera mentioned “a lot of things going on.” Could that mean there’s more to Boston’s demotion? Like, say, speaking up about police shootings?
Rivera empathically said off-the-field topics had nothing to do with the decision. Boston didn’t sound convinced.
“I don't know, man. Nothing's proven. I'm not here to say,” he said. “Maybe it's because of straight performance. I don't know.”
It’s unclear who will start next to Coleman Monday night against the Bucs, but it’ll be a timeshare. And while Boston may not understand why he lost his spot for the second time in 14 months, he’s smart enough to stop short of talking his way out of town.
“I don't want it to get where it's me versus upstairs. I don't care for that,” Boston said. “We're just trying to move body parts around, maybe find a way of getting me started. I don't know. I really don't.
“I just want to win ballgames. We have to find ways to win, if that's mixing up the safeties, it is what it is.”