Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by 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.
#84. Tre Boston
Tre Boston had an outsized impact on the Panthers organization relative to the amount of games he started here. As time has passed and years have blurred together, it feels like Boston was a Panthers lifer that spent a decade with the team. In reality, he spent five total seasons with the Panthers spread across two stints, one for three years and one for two. He was credited with 48 total starts.
Boston started his career with the Panthers after they made him a fourth round pick in the 2014 draft. He started his rookie season as the backup to free agent Thomas DeCoud. He eventually took over the starting free safety job from the struggling DeCoud near the end of the season as the Panthers made their first improbable run to the playoffs with a losing record. The following year, he again started the season as a backup to a free agent signing, this time Kurt Coleman. He finally got more opportunity as a starter in year three, but still split snaps with a couple other players.
Boston was released and left for greener pastures. He spent one season each with the Chargers and Cardinals, but he was always destined to be a Panther. He rejoined the team before the 2019 season and played every defensive snap that season, and almost every defensive snap the following season. He firmly entrenched himself as a solid starter and even tallied a career high 95 tackles in what would be his final season in 2020.
While Boston was never an elite player for the Panthers, he was extremely well liked for his charisma and demeanor. He was and continues to be a staple in the Charlotte community and frequently pops up in Panthers promotions and social media content. He’s now a Panthers lifer, an elite hair guy, and is an all around great guy. That’s good enough to earn a spot in the 80s in the list of top 100 Panthers of all time.
