After a brief flirtation, the Carolina Panthers passed on the opportunity to sign free agent safety Donovin Darius because of concerns over his range and past injuries. Darius signed a three-year contract with the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday worth more than $7 million. He is coming off a broken leg and torn ACL in the last two seasons.

   The Panthers remain thin in the secondary with Nate Salley slated to start opposite Mike Minter, who will retire at the end of the season. Look for the team to add a veteran safety at some point, possibly after cuts are made in August. Although safety may not be the most important position on the field it is the last line of defense and the Panthers can't run the risk of allowing that to disrupt their success on defense this season.