Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.
#48. Charles Godfrey
Panthers stats: 82 games, 374 tackles, 11 interceptions
Career stats: 95 games, 386 tackles, 11 interceptions
If there was a Carolina Panthers “Hall of the Very Good”, Charles Godfrey would be among the first players inducted. While he was a very good free safety for six-plus years for the Panthers, he never got Pro Bowl recognition nor was he fawned over by the national media. But over 82 games in Carolina, Godfrey was a consistently impactful presence in the secondary.
He was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. The Iowa product defied the odds for most third rounders by winning a starting safety spot Week 1 of his rookie season. He started all 16 games with 61 tackles, one interception, and five passes defended. Carolina went 12-4 that season and Panthers fans knew the team had found its long-term solution at the back end of the secondary.
Over his first five seasons from 2008 through 2012 Godfrey managed to stay relatively healthy, missing seven games over that stretch. Over his first five seasons he averaged nearly 54 tackles per season, 2.2 interceptions, and 6.2 passes defended. Many Panthers fans will also remember him for his flowing hair that trailed him like a kite’s tail as he sprinted across the field.
Then in 2013 his season was cut short to just two games due to an Achilles injury
In 2014 he returned from injury but was moved from free safety to slot corner, and he struggled in his new role. He played seven up-and-down games with 19 tackles before being released with the season still in full swing. He was replaced at free safety by Thomas DeCoud as the Panthers pulled the most NFC South feat possible by winning the division with a 7-8-1 record that year.
After his mid-season release in 2015 he remained in the NFC South by signing with the Atlanta Falcons – Eww! – and played sparingly over five games with all of his snaps coming on special teams. He returned to the Falcons in 2016 and appeared in eight games with 12 tackles before calling it a career.
