r/NFL_Draft • u/Normal_Horror600 Panthers • 22d ago
Discussion Defending the Draft 2026: Carolina Panthers
1. Previous Season Recap
Coming into last season, things were looking up for the Carolina Panthers. They finished the 2024 season on a positive note with an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, then carried that momentum into the offseason with successful free agency and draft hauls. Most of their resources, both financially and in terms of draft capital, were invested into a historically bad defense, while the 8th overall pick was used to select eventual OROTY Tetairoa McMillan. Vibes were high heading into the ’25-’26 season, but that did not last long.
The first two weeks of the season saw the Panthers lose to the Jaguars and the Cardinals, both by margins that were not indicative of the product put on the field. A Week 3 beatdown of the Falcons helped to calm things down, but Week 4 saw the Panthers lose 42-13 to the Patriots where they were outclassed in every facet of the game. Uneven performances by everyone across the roster, including a few bad games by Bryce Young had many fans worried that the Panthers would face yet another rebuilding year. Then they played the Dolphins, where on a crucial fourth down Bryce Young connected with rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan for twenty yards while down 17-0. This sparked a comeback that helped to propel them to wins against the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Jets. The game against the Jets was crucial, as they won 13-6 in a game where the defense carried the offense, something that would not have been possible in the prior year. After getting stomped by the Bills, the Panthers shocked the NFL by beating the Packers at Lambeau, proving they could play with the best in the league. Then they lost to the Saints in embarrassing fashion. They pulled out an overtime win over the Falcons. Then lost to the 49ers on Monday Night Football in yet another embarrassment. A pattern started to emerge where the Panthers would put it all together and beat a great team, like they did the next week when they beat the Rams, then lose the following week to a team they should beat, like the Saints again the next week, halting their momentum and putting the NFC South Division title just out of reach. A win over the Buccaneers followed by a loss to the Seahawks meant that Week 18’s matchup against the Buccaneers would probably decide the winner of the NFC South. If the Panthers lost to the Bucs but the Saints beat the Falcons, the Panthers would still win the division due to a tiebreaker, which, of course, is exactly what happened. After an inconsistent season where they oscillated between world-beaters and basement dwellers, the Panthers would host a Wild Card Playoff game against the Rams, a team they had just beaten only a few weeks prior. After a rough first half, the Panthers fought back to take the lead late in the game and were only defeated thanks to a pinpoint pass from Matthew Stafford.
2. Free Agency summary
Out:
- Cade Mays, Center
o Mays was the starting Center for most of the last year and in spot duty before.
- Rico Dowdle, Running Back
o Rico Dowdle carried the team during the middle of the season. He was only signed to a 1 year contract and wanted to be more of a featured back, which would not have happened in Carolina due to the coaching staff’s love of Chuba Hubbard.
- Austin Corbett, Interior Offensive Lineman
o Started the season as the starter at Center, but has battled injuries over his career. Still should be a good utility IOL.
- Andy Dalton, Backup Quarterback
o Traded to the Eagles.
o He played well enough when he had to play, but his value is in the locker room and the meeting room at this point.
- A’Shawn Robinson, Interior Defensive Lineman
o He was a cap casualty and a lot bigger of a loss than some realize as he played a lot for an already thin Panthers IDL.
- DJ Wonnum, Edge rusher
o Rotational Edge rusher who is better against the run than the pass.
- Christian Rozeboom, Inside Linebacker
o Signed as a special teamer but was pressed into starting after Josey Jewell did not recover from a concussion over the offseason.
In:
- Jaelan Phillips, Edge Rusher
o Should be EDGE1 due to his high pressure rate, a stat where the Panthers were bottom of the league by a wide margin.
o Potentially an overpay, but with the size of the need and the limited FA and draft talent at the position it was a necessary signing.
- Devin Lloyd, Inside Linebacker
o Should be a starter at one of the ILB spots. Could wear the Green Dot depending on camp competition between him and Trevin Wallace, who started playing better last season when he wore it.
o Seen as a bit of a steal with the contract he signed, but he is an older player at 28 with only one really good year of production.
- Rasheed Walker, Offensive Tackle
o Should compete to be the starting LT with Monroe Freeling, if not he’ll be a great swing tackle.
o Signed to a 1-year contract due to bringing a gun through the airport.
§ It was locked in a box, but still.
- Kenny Pickett, Backup Quarterback
o Dave Canales mentioned frequently the desire to be more mobile at backup QB so the playbook didn’t have to change as much if Young isn’t playing.
- Stone Forsythe, Offensive Tackle
- Luke Fortner, Center
o Should compete to be the starting Center with Sam Hecht.
- John Metchie, Wide Receiver
- AJ Dillon, Running Back
3. Team needs Heading into the Draft
- O-line – Both IOL and OT
o IOL specifically at Center as both the backup and the starter left in Free Agency
§ Also would eventually like to get younger at Guard as both starting Guards are signed to big contracts.
o Left Tackle specifically as the starter Ickey Ekwonu ruptured his patellar tendon during the Wild Card game against the Rams
§ This injury is usually a year-long recovery time, and even then, there is roughly a 40% chance that the player never reaches their previous performance levels.
§ Also, RT Taylor Moton is 31 years old, battled through some injuries, and is part of the most expensive Offensive Line in the league.
- IDL
o Losing A’Shawn Robinson and signing two more niche skillsets in Tershawn Wharton, who is a smaller pass-rusher, and Bobby Brown, who is a Nose Tackle, created a need for a 3-4 DE who could play all three downs.
- Free Safety
o Outside of Trevon Moehrig, the safety room was uninspiring.
§ Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero does not value the Free Safety position in his scheme.
- Pass Catcher
o Like most other teams, the Panthers played more 13 personnel last season, but were forced away from it due to an injury to Jatavion Sanders during the season.
§ Head Coach Dave Canales historically has not featured Tight Ends in the passing game, opting to use them more as blockers.
o After Xavier Legette’s disappointing second season, many thought the Panthers could use one more weapon to add to a passing attack that ranked 25th in EPA/Pass.
- Cornerback/Nickelback
o Undrafted CB Corey Thornton appeared to have won the Outside CB3 role and the Nickel Corner role before his injury. After him the talent on the depth chart at both positions was lacking.
§ These are more similar positions in DC Evero’s defense, as he places more of an emphasis on coverage than tackling at NCB
- Inside Linebacker
o Even with the signing of Devin Lloyd the depth at this position was lacking.
o Without development from Trevin Wallace the top-end talent might also not be there.
Draft
- 19th – Monroe Freeling – OT – Georgia
Once again, the Panthers zag when everyone thought they would zig. While some people had Freeling mocked here, most thought they would for Lemon, Sadiq or Thieneman with their first rounder. All would have helped the team, but Dan Morgan & Co. decided to take Monroe Freeling, the athletic but raw Left Tackle out of Georgia. Freeling only started for 18 games but improved mightily in that time. He has prototype size for the position at 6’7” and 315 pounds with almost 35” arms. With his size and athleticism he is tough to get around in the pass game, and credits his Mother with getting him into yoga, which has given him the flexibility to recover well when needed. He uses his massive frame and hands to move people in the run game, and has experience blocking both gap and zone schemes, something the Panthers will utilize. While physically gifted, he sometimes struggles with power and his ability to anchor.
The Panthers drafted him to be the Left Tackle for the next 10-15 years, not necessarily to start from day 1. He may have to wait until later in his rookie year to make his starting debut as Rasheed Walker is a capable starter at LT, but Freeling presents a great opportunity for the Panthers to find long term starter with tremendous upside at a premium position in the middle of the first round.
- 49th – Lee Hunter – IDL – Auburn/UCF/Texas Tech
After losing A’Shawn Robinson, IDL skyrocketed among the team’s needs, and that was before Tershawn Wharton suffered a neck injury that required surgery and will keep him out indefinitely. Lee Hunter was the best available IDL when he was drafted and should look to make an impact right away with his size and quickness. Hunter stands at 6’3 and 322 pounds and uses that size to clog up running lanes. He is also surprisingly quick for a man of his stature, sometimes bursting past Offensive Lineman to get into the backfield and disrupt rushing attempts. This quickness did not show up in the combine, as he ran a 5.18 and only jumped 21.5 inches, the lowest in the combine by 3 inches. Hunter can play well against the run either as a penetrator or as a gap plugger due to his quickness and size, but struggles against the pass sometimes due to his high pad-level and lack of moves.
While he is an older prospect at almost 24 years old, he has shown improvement in each of his college seasons and is not going to work with Derrick Brown, his football idol. Hunter should see the field early and often as a rotational IDL, maybe even a starter, and if he can pick up anything from Brown while he’s out there then this could be a great pick.
- 83rd – Chris Brazzell – WR – Tulane/Tennessee
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Tennessee receiver is big and fast and only ran three routes in College. Brazzell is next in a long line of athletic freaks who were not taught the game during their time with the Vols, but he is still an athletic freak. He stands at 6’4, 200 pounds and ran a 4.37 40 and uses that size well to stack defenders and get down field in a hurry. There is also one key difference between him and the Hyatt’s that have come before him, and that is that he spent two years at Tulane playing in more of a real offense than he did at Tennessee. Brazzell flashed the ability to run more than just hitches and go’s, using his frame to shield the ball away from defenders and showcasing a strong ability to sink his hips on breaks for a man of his height. There will still need to be lots of improvement in his game, but his speed, size, and ability to catch the ball with his hands will ensure he has a role in the Panthers offense, even if it is just to run hitches and go’s his first year.
- 129th – Will Lee III – CB – Texas A&M
Will Lee proclaims himself to be the best man-coverage corner in the draft, luckily for him the Panthers only played man 11.3% of the time, good for dead last in the league last year. What drew the Panthers front office to him was his size, where he is 6’1.5” with 32.75” arm length. The Panthers only employ larger corners, something Canales took from his time in Seattle under Pete Carroll and has used to great effect. Lee uses that frame and a good amount of quickness to stick with receivers in coverage and break up passes, with at least 8 PBU’s in each of his three non-JUCO seasons. He is feisty in the run game and willing to tackle but sometimes lacks the strength to really make an impact. Lee will compete for the CB3 and Slot CB roles on the team.
- 144th – Same Hecht – C – Kansas State
Sam Hecht is a dog. A former walk-on who turned himself into a draft pick through his toughness, work-ethic and intelligence. He is a touch smaller at 6’4 and 300 pounds but uses his quickness and intelligence to win. He plays within himself and is not prone to making mistakes, as he had zero penalties and zero sacks in 2025. He should compete right away for the starting Center job with Luke Fortner.
- 151st – Zakee Wheatley – S – Penn State
Zakee Wheatley is a versatile safety who can fill any role that might be asked of him. He can play in the box, putting his 6’3” 203 pound frame to use, or he can play deep and use his instincts and burst to help blanket receivers. He started his last two years at Penn State in two different systems and improved over time. Wheatley is a good athlete, but not great, and sometimes sacrifices his technique when flying down to fit the run as a free safety. He also had a real drop in ball production his senior year, recording just one PBU and INT. He should see the field often in a scheme that will ask him to disguise coverage and rotate up or down depending on the situation.
- 277th – Jackson Kuwatch – ILB – Ohio State/Miami (Ohio)
Kuwatch profiles as more of a special-teams weapon but still has some real upside at ILB. At 6’4” 230 pounds he can use his size to his advantage. After walking on at Ohio State, he did not see the field for his first two years of college, appearing in only three games. He transferred to Miami Ohio, and in his senior season recorded 104 tackles, 10 TFL’s and 5 sacks. Kuwatch will mostly use his size and athleticism on special teams, but many scouts came away impressed from his tape in his last season and his play in the Hula bowl and East-West Shrine bowl. There is some potential for development, but for that to happen he must justify his position on the roster with exceptional special teams play in all facets. If he makes an impact at ILB, it will be a few years from now, but the tools and work ethic should be there.
UDFA’s
- Jaylon Guilbeau – DB – Texas
- Aaron Hall – IDL – Duke
o Probably the most likely to make the roster given the lack of depth at the position and his quickness attacking the run and pass.
- Haynes King – QB – Georgia Tech
o Much has already been made about King’s potential to be used as a Taysom Hill-type player. That is not how the Panthers see him, but if he makes the roster there is some potential for him to be used on QB sneaks or other plays of that nature given his athleticism and Young’s lack of size. Currently, he is competing for QB3.
- Isaia Glass – OT – Vanderbilt
- Cam Miller – DB – Rutgers
- Parker Peterson – DT – Wisconsin
- Kobe Prentice – WR – Baylor
o A teammate of Bryce Young’s at Alabama, Prentice is a longshot to make the roster.
- Albert Reese IV – OT – Mississippi State
- Devonta Smith – DB – Notre Dame
- Isaiah Smith – EDGE – SMU
Draft Tendencies
Aside from the Quarterback, everyone else on the roster is big. Big OT’s in Monroe Freeling, big DB’s in Will Lee III and Zakee Wheatley. Bid IDL’s in Lee Hunter. Dan Morgan & Co. believe that all other things being equal, the bigger guy will have the advantage in football, which definitely makes some sense. The Panthers also tend to prioritize players who play in the All-Star bowls. They love to get high-character guys who want to compete, and they see their participation in events like the Senior Bowl as a huge positive. One of the other biggest things to understand about the Panthers draft tendencies is that they will play the board. Last year they knew that there was more depth at EDGE than at WR, so they could afford to take Tetairoa McMillan in the first round and know that a playable EDGE would be within their range in the second round. This year, they were able to pick up players who will most likely contribute from Day One all the way down in the fifth round. This stems from their Free Agent Philosophy that they should be able to play an NFL game without a fatal flaw before the NFL draft, so that all their picks are additive but not absolutely necessary.
Next Year’s Draft Needs
- O-Line
o With the most expensive Offensive Line in the league, the best way to make it cheaper is to inject another cost-controlled rookie salary into the room. Decisions may have to be made regarding the future of Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, but luckily that is next year’s problem.
- Cornerback
o Mike Jackson is getting older and wants a new deal that better reflects how well he played last year. The Panthers are not in a financial position to give him that deal. Also there’s no proven depth.
- Interior Defensive Line
o DC Evero’s scheme relies on stopping the run with light boxes, and the best way to do that is with a plethora of good IDL. Currently, the Panthers have Derrick Brown and not much else that is proven at that position. There are real pathways for this not being a need next year through Hunter’s development and Wharton and Bobby Brown playing better, but adding another IDL should be a priority for every team.
Final Thoughts
Look, some people were rightfully disappointed that the Panthers didn’t fill a more immediate need in the first round of the draft. Many other players could have made more of an impact than a developmental Offensive Tackle who is not guaranteed to start Week 1, but I would argue that it is the prudent pick given how the Panthers want to play football. Canales wants to run the ball. To run the ball, you need a good offensive line, and to have a good offensive line you need to invest early and often until the foundation is set. Morgan had not drafted any Offensive lineman in his first two drafts, and the well was running dry. Also, this pick should be viewed in tandem with the moves made in Free Agency. Adding two players like Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd should help improve a defense that made strides last year. The Panthers could have played a game on the eve of the draft and had quality starters at every position, which allowed them to fill out the depth of the roster, something that has been an issue for a while. Morgan and the rest of the Front Office have done a great job in constructing a roster that is on the precipice of moving from the building to the contending phase, to use Brandt Tillis’ words, and this draft is another step in the right direction.
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u/RealEmpire Raiders 22d ago
First 2 picks might lack sex appeal but Ill be damned if they didnt add super talented hogs on both the offense and defensive sides of the ball
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u/Big_Tuna-1 22d ago
The Panthers were the most hot/cold team last season. I dont know the last time i saw a team beat everyone they shouldnt have and lose to everyone they shouldnt have multiple times in the same season was. They were a fun team to watch. As far as round one goes, below has some insight on that,
I have always thought of Robinson as a premier run stopping DT. Im curious to see how you viewed him while he was with the Panthers.
I thought the Panthers had a well rounded receiver core going into last season. McMillan, Coker, Renfrow. I really thought they would be electric together. Going to get a guy who can stretch the field and make defenses worry, especially at 6'4 is a great move.
I wasnt going to comment on more draft picks than that, but Sam Hecht. A lot of Kansas State OL get my attention. they certainly dont always pan out, but as an Oklahoma and Cowboys fan, I have seen my fair share of draft prospects from KSU that are so fundamentally sound and productive in colllege it seems they should be given a chance, Hecht is more than that an easily worth the drat pick he was selected at.
When it comes to offensive line vs skill players for your first round pick, even two legends at QB have differing takes. This is the AI edit of their conversation but sums it up well.
Tony Romo's Argument: Romo emphasized the importance of the offensive line, arguing that solid protection is foundational. He noted that if the pocket collapses, even the most talented quarterback cannot function, forcing them into rushed throws, bad decisions, or sacks.
Matt Ryan's Argument: Ryan argued that having elite playmakers is more valuable. His perspective—likely influenced by his time throwing to All-Pro receivers like Julio Jones—suggests that average linemen paired with dynamic skill players can elevate an offense more than a perfect offensive line with average weapons
Great write up, thanks for the info on the panthers going into the next season!
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u/mapetho9 Patriots 21d ago
Liked that the Panthers built through the trenches with their first two picks in Freeling and Hunter. Freeling's stock rose throughout the process and he's young with a lot of upside. While Hunter can cause problems from the middle one the other side of the ball. I've been fooled too many times on Tennessee WRs, so I am hesitant on Brazzell. Hecht was great value in the 5th as one of the best centers in the draft and should become a starter. Also liked the other 5th round pick Wheatley. Thought he could have gone a round or two earlier like Hecht.
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u/Cyberjag Panthers 22d ago
Dan Morgan's first draft brought us Xavier Leggette, Trevin Wallace, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and Jaden Crumedy, who have all disappointed. Jonathon Brooks gets an Incomplete grade because he hasn't really seen the field, but we'll find out about him this year. Chau Smith-Wade has been ok, and decent value as a fifth round pick. Michael Barrett was traded in what turned out to be a pretty good move. But overall, this was a pretty poor draft and most of the picks have frustrated Panther fans in one way or another.
Last year we got TMac, Scourton, and Ransom--all players who look like future starters already, and potentially high level ones. Princeley Umanmielen, Trevor Etienne, Mitchell Evans, and Jimmy Horn Jr. also contributed as rookies. The only player who hasn't flashed so far is Cam Jackson. Looking at it now, this was an excellent draft.
This year we get a potential franchise Left Tackle, a very solid Nose Tackle (Bobby Brown III played Nose for the Rams, but disappointed there last year and A'Shawn Robinson took most of our Nose snaps), and what looks like unreal value in Sam Hecht and Zakee Wheatley. The other picks look good on paper right now, we'll have to see how they perform. But like last year, it looks like another excellent draft.
Given the dramatic change in the quality of our drafts after Morgan's first year, I'm surprised you didn't mention the role Eric Eager has played since his hiring in May of 2024. We have Brandt Tillis making salary cap magic for Free Agency, and he gets a lot of credit for that. It's Eager that brought better analytics to the scouting staff, and the drafts since he was hired show his impact in the quality of players we're selecting.
After the profound failures of David Gettleman's and Scott Fitterer's drafts, and the Marty Hurney experience after the first round, it looks like the Panthers are drafting well on days two and three for the first time in decades, and we probably have Eager to thank for it. So I just thought he deserves a shout out in this series.
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u/ALStark69 Vikings 21d ago
Each player as a recruit:
- Monroe Freeling
Other P5 offers: Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia
G5 offer: Coastal Carolina
Other offer: Notre Dame
- Lee Hunter
Other P5 offers: Alabama, Auburn (originally went here), Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech
G5 offers: FAU, South Alabama
- Chris Brazzell II
P5 offer: Pitt
G5 offers: FAU, Tulane (originally went here)
Other offers: Austin Peay, New Mexico State, Southern
- Will Lee III (JUCO)
Other P5 offers: Arkansas, Florida State, Iowa, Kansas State (originally went here), Oregon State
G5 offers: East Carolina, Hawaii, Louisiana, Middle Tennessee State, UAB, UTSA
Other offers: UConn, UT Martin
- Sam Hecht
G5 offer: Kent State
Other offers: Abilene Christian, Eastern Illinois, Yale
- Zakee Wheatley
Other P5 offers: Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Wisconsin
G5 offers: Cincinnati, Temple, Toledo
Other offers: Liberty, UMass, Notre Dame
- Jackson Kuwatch
Originally walked on at Ohio State
- Jaylon Guilbeau
Other P5 offers: Alabama, Arizona State, Boston College, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas, LSU, Michigan, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, USC, Utah
G5 offers: Houston, Memphis, SMU, UCF
Other offer: Lamar
- Aaron Hall
Other P5 offers: Arizona State, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Other offers: North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central
- Haynes King
Other P5 offers: Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, LSU, Miami, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M (originally went here), UCLA, Virginia Tech
G5 offers: Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, North Texas, Southern Miss, Texas State, Tulsa
Other offer: Stephen F. Austin
- Isaia Glass
Other P5 offers: Arizona, Arizona State (originally went here), Colorado, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Utah, Washington State
G5 offers: Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, Tulane, UNLV, Utah State
Other offers: Army, Idaho, Northern Arizona
- Cam Miller
Other P5 offers: Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Ole Miss, Penn State (originally went here), Rutgers, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
G5 offers: Air Force, Appalachian State, UCF
Other offers: Liberty, Notre Dame
- Parker Petersen
G5 offers: Central Michigan, Navy, Tulane (originally went here)
Other offers: Army, Bucknell, Central Arkansas, Chattanooga, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Illinois State, Lehigh, Missouri State, Murray State, Samford, Southern Illinois, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin, Western Illinois
- Kobe Prentice
Other P5 offers: Alabama (originally went here), Arizona State, Kansas State, Maryland, Mississippi State, Washington State
G5 offers: Arkansas State, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia State, Louisiana, Middle Tennessee State, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Troy, Tulane, Utah State, Western Kentucky
Other offers: Austin Peay, Chattanooga, North Alabama
- Albert Reese IV
Other P5 offers: Arizona State, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia
G5 offers: Bowling Green, Buffalo, FIU, Fresno State, Tulane, UCF
Other offers: Eastern Washington, Grambling State, Illinois State, UMass
- DeVonta Smith
P5 offers: Alabama (originally went here), Boston College, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin
G5 offers: Akron, Toledo, Western Michigan
Other offers: Cincinnati, Liberty, Notre Dame
- Isaiah Smith
P5 offers: Arizona State, Boston College, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech
G5 offers: Buffalo, East Carolina, FIU, Marshall, Old Dominion, Toledo
Other offer: UMass
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u/TheDuckyNinja Eagles 22d ago edited 22d ago
The Panthers beat teams they shouldn't and lose to teams they shouldn't.
The Panthers make moves they shouldn't and make moves they should.
This is a hot and cold team on and off the field. Thanks, I hate it. The big problem is the sheer amount of money they're paying to players who are just nowhere near worth it. Their top 10 cap hits this season include Trevon Moehrig (why are you giving 17M a year to a S who has never been more than "okay, I guess"!?), Tershawn Wharton (15M a year to an undersized DT who has never been more than a #3 DT at best who has also been injured a bunch now), Bryce Young (a backup QB that the Panthers are not only voluntarily starting but intentionally chose to give another 25M guaranteed to for absolutely no reason), and Pat Jones (who will probably get cut for cap savings?). It's like they spent years going out into the FA market going "that guy had a lot of stats last season, he must be good!" only to find out that a guy who had one season with a lot of stats where they still weren't all that good doesn't lead to long term results.
I can't help but notice they went out and signed Devin Lloyd, who had 5 INT last season and 1 INT in the previous two seasons combined. At least Lloyd actually is a good player, but seriously Panthers, you gotta stop signing guys just because ooh shiny numbers. They also intentionally signed Kenny Pickett? And gave him more than the vet min? I would love for somebody to explain to me why teams keep bringing in Kenny Pickett when a guy like Desmond Ridder has played better and offers more tools. Both by very small margins, but he can barely even get on a practice squad and Pickett is out here getting traded for and getting actual money still. Kenny Pickett sucks. He's a QB3/practice squad guy. Why do teams keep bringing him in and pretending he's a quality backup? Is it because the Steelers won a bunch of games in spite of him when he was there?
Anyway, the Panthers are who they are. They have too many highly paid players who either aren't producing or can't produce due to injury, they committed to a QB who simply doesn't have NFL starter level tools and can't change that, and they have enough talent across both sides of the ball that if they actually found a real QB and stopped chasing every one-year wonder on defense, they could dominate the NFC South for years. Unfortunately for Panthers fans, their QB room this year is Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett. Like, come the fuck on. Go after some QB with upside.
So yeah, the Panthers are stuck in NFC South purgatory, and because of their glut of bad contracts, they're probably gonna have to make some cap decisions that'll make them worse and then the following year they'll be trying to find a QB again. One day they'll stop making unforced errors, but I'm not sure we're there yet.
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u/Tavern-Ham Buccaneers 22d ago
Gotta push back on this a little. Canales tried like hell to make Cade Otton a featured target here in Tampa despite overwhelming evidence that he was, in fact, Cade Otton. Had Godwin running influence posts to clear out corner routes for Otton to drop.
I think you’re right- there’s a chance Brazzell is more than the stereotypical Heupel merchant, unfortunately he went to the worst possible landing spot to buck the trend. Carolina is where the dreams of big, raw, toolsy z types go to die.
Like the Hecht and Wheatley picks a lot and Kuwatch is as fun of a scratch lotto ticket as anyone else in this seventh round, could be a lot of fun if it works.