Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic is one of the more dependable beat writers in the NFL, so when he sends out something like this, you can pretty much bank on it happening.

Hearing Antoine Cason will sign w/Panthers soon. Javier Arenas to Atl tuesday. #azcardinals didn't try to re-sign Cason.

— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) March 19, 2014

Somers is familiar with Antoine Cason after his one-year stint with the Cardinals last season and the cornerback is familiar with Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. A first-round pick in 2008, Cason played three years for Rivera when he was the Chargers’ defensive coordinator.

The University of Arizona product landed with the Cardinals in 2013, but he didn’t start in any of his 16 games played. Cason had a 38-yard fumble return during Arizona’s Week 5 win over the Panthers last year.

The Panthers saw cornerback Captain Munnerlyn bolt to Minnesota last week, and with 33-year-old corner Drayton Florence also a free agent, Rivera likely put in a good word to help get Cason a chance in Carolina.

Longtime NFL writer Howard Balzer tweeted Tuesday that the Panthers are also interested in Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas.

Even if Cason is essentially a done deal, Thomas could have a spot as well for a team looking for talent in the second-wave of free agency.