Chinn finished second in the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year voting to former Commanders EDGE Chase Young. A former second-round pick of the Panthers, Chinn’s last two years have been injury-plagued, as he’s appeared in just 23 of 34 regular-season games since 2022. In his two healthy seasons, Chinn totaled 100-plus tackles and five pass breakups and has been solid in pass coverage. A versatile safety who is capable of lining up anywhere on defense, he’ll make for an interesting fit in Dan Quinn’s defense.

Chinn was placed on the IR after hurting his quad against the Dolphins in Week 6. At the time of his injury, Pro Football Focus graded the Panthers defense as the league’s eighth worst coverage unit, and it’s only been worse since he’s been gone. Being designated to return opens up Chinn’s 21-day practice window, so the team will now have up to three weeks to decide when to get him back on the field for game action. When they do, it will improve Carolina’s defense but not to the extent that it will drastically change how you play fantasy players against them.

It was previously reported that Chinn could miss up to six weeks, so it makes sense for the Panthers to place him on the IR and give him time to heal. The injury is not expected to be season-ending but losing one of their best players for an extended period of time will be a tough blow for this Panthers defense to overcome.