Panthers safety Eric Reid complained after Thursday night’s game that he’s been tested for performance-enhancing drugs far more than should be expected if the testing is truly random. The NFL quickly pushed back against those comments.Reid Cheap Christian McCaffrey Jersey , who was ejected from the game for a hit on Ben Roethlisberger, told reporters afterward that he was required to submit to a drug test for the fifth time since signing with the Panthers six weeks ago.“This is like the fifth time since I’ve been here,” he said. “They’re not going to catch me on anything.”That led to some chatter that perhaps the NFL is targeting Reid, who has filed a collusion claim accusing league owners of conspiring to keep him out of the NFL because he kneeled during the national anthem.But NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy wrote on Twitter on Friday morning that the league and the players’ union jointly oversee the random PED testing process.鈥?#8220;Re: PED testing: Each week during the season, 10 players per club will be tested,” McCarthy wrote. “By means of a computer program, the policy鈥檚 jointly appointed Independent Administrator randomly selects before the game players to be tested.”McCarthy provided a link to the NFL-NFLPA policy to show exactly how testing works. While it’s easy to believe NFL owners kept Reid out of the league because of his protest Custom Christian McCaffrey Jersey , it’s extraordinarily difficult to believe that the NFL is subverting the drug testing policy in an attempt to frame Reid. If he’s been tested more times than most players, it was probably just the luck of the draw. The Carolina Panthers limped to a 7-9 finish in 2018 largely due to franchise quarterback Cam Newton suffering from a shoulder injury that severely limited his ability to throw deep. The Panthers wisely—albeit a few weeks too late—shut him down for the final two games of the regular season. During those final two games, the Panthers cycled through three backup quarterbacks: Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen and Garrett Gilbert. Heinicke played in Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons and suffered an elbow injury in the first half. While he toughed it out and finished the game, he was placed on injured reserve before the Panthers faced the New Orleans Saints in Week 17. For the season finale in New Orleans, Allen made his first career NFL start but was replaced by Gilbert in the second half after going down with a shoulder injury himself. Honestly, it’s amazing that Newton lasted as long as he did in 2018. The Panthers have had issues protecting their franchise quarterback since drafting him in 2011 Will Grier Carolina Panthers Jersey , but the situation heading into the offseason is the worst it’s been in recent memory.For reference, here’s the list of offensive tackles who spent time on the Panthers’ 53-man roster in 2018:Chris ClarkMatt Kalil (injured reserve)Taylor MotonMarshall NewhouseCorey Robinson (waived)Daryl Williams (injured reserve)While these lists are sufficient in quantity, they’re not so much in quality. The Panthers will only have three tackles on the roster when the league year starts in March, as Kalil and Moton are the only two players from the list above who will not be free agents in 2019. (The third tackle is Isaiah Battle, who signed a reserve future contract in December 2018 and will probably spend the majority of the 2019 season on the practice squad.) When you consider that Kalil spent the 2018 season on injured reserve and hasn’t lived up to expectations when he’s been healthy in the past, it’s not much of a stretch to say that the Panthers definitely need help protecting Newton on the edges. Taylor Moton is a very good right tackle, but he’s not so good that he can handle both left and right tackle duties himself. Even if he could Color Rush Will Grier Jersey , the Panthers still need adequate depth because going into 2019 with only three bodies at the position is a bad idea. There are enough first round quality offensive tackles in this year’s draft class for the Panthers to take one at No. 16 overall without it being a tremendous reach. They may not get the No. 1 tackle in this year’s class, but at this point adding any of the top five tackles would be an improvement to a Panthers roster that hasn’t seen consistent quality at left tackle since Jordan Gross retired in 2014.If the Panthers are going to claim that Cam Newton is their franchise quarterback and build an offense around his dual-threat ability, and if they want to ensure that he is protected from further damaging his surgically repaired shoulder, then it’s essential that they provide him with adequate protection to give him time in the pocket to make plays. The refusal to address this clear and obvious need would be a grave mistake the Panthers simply cannot afford to make.