We’re counting down the days until the Panthers kick off the 2024 season.
We’re officially 86 days away from the Carolina Panthers kicking off the 2024 NFL season against the New Orleans Saints. It will be their second consecutive road opener. Now it’s time for our annual roster countdown to highlight the players on the Panthers’ roster. Since there is no No. 71 on the roster today, we’re taking a closer look at one of the best to ever wear that number — defensive tackle Greg Kragen.
Kragen entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent for the Denver Broncos in 1985. He was undersized for a nose tackle at 6’3”, 263 pounds, but he quickly earned his roster spot. He started all but five games for the Broncos between ‘86 and ‘93. That included trips to the Super Bowl in 1986, 1987, and 1989 during the John Elway years. He moved to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1994 before being selected by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 expansion draft.
He held down the nose tackle position for three years here, including for the team’s 1996 playoff run under Dom Capers. His first year may have been his most impressive, however. Kragen overcame the NFL’s first introduction to the brutal Spartanburg heat and humidity and recorded an impressive 29-yard interception return as a 3-4 nose tackle. He picked off future Panthers quarterback Jim Harbaugh (then with the Indianapolis Colts).
You can read more about Kragen’s feelings about Spartanburg, that interception, and his time after the Panthers in this excellent “where are they now” piece that Panthers.com did in 2015.
What are you hoping for from the defensive tackle position this season? Scroll on down to the comments and share your thoughts with us!
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