Reeder's Take

   Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney was in Green Bay Saturday night scouting the preseason game between the Packers and Cleveland Browns, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. That makes sense since Hurney wasn’t at practice today.

   Now here’s the interesting part — Tony Grossi, who covers the Browns, speculates that Hurney might be there scouting Browns defensive lineman Corey Williams, who could be on the trading block. Williams (6-4, 320) is a potential answer for the Panthers at defensive tackle.

   Williams played four seasons in Green Bay (2004-07) and had a combined 14 sacks and 69 tackles in his final two years. The Packers made him their franchise player and then traded him to Browns prior to the 2008 season. Williams struggled fitting into Cleveland’s 3-4 defense,  registering 50 tackles but only a half-sack.

   There are obviously some questions about Williams’ effectiveness, as he lined up with the Browns second-team defensive line tonight.

   Williams, 28, is in his sixth season.

   If the Panthers are to land him, it would likely come via a trade.  According to league documents he’s due a base salary of $1.7 million this year and $4.2 million in 2010. The Panthers are a little tight under the salary cap but might be able to make that work by shifting some money around.

   Again, this is all speculation and Hurney could be there scouting someone else, but it’s interesting that he’s there.

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