Just like the Carolina Panthers: The NFL Draft is the marquee event of the offseason, and the team has gone and ruined it.
After a frenzy of activity in the opening hours of NFL free agency, the Panthers addressed most of their pressing offseason needs and ruined all the excitement about next month’s selections.
Chances are, the team won’t opt to deal away all their picks and stand pat, but it’s tough to imagine a better start to the offseason than the week GM Dan Morgan put together.
Heading into the start of the new NFL year, Morgan needed to improve the team’s defensive front. The return of Derek Brown from injury last season helped the Panthers take a big step forward, but Carolina still needed help at edge rusher and linebacker.
On the other side of the ball, the Panthers needed some help at offensive line. Left tackle Ickey Ekwonu will miss most, if not all, of next season with a ruptured tendon in his knee. The Panthers also lost Cade Mays to Detroit and Yosh Nijman to surprise retirement.
The team could also use help at safety, running back—where Rico Dowdle made it clear he was one and done with the team, later signing with the Steelers—and backup quarterback.
The Panthers opened with a big move, as Morgan signed linebacker/edge rusher Jaelan Phillips for an eye-popping $120 million over four years, with $80 million of it guaranteed. Phillips was ninth in the NFL in quarterback pressures last year.
A first-round pick by the Dolphins in 2021, his 8.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss as a rookie were career highs, at least so far, but he’s had a knack for big plays, including a fumble recovery in the red zone in one of his first games after getting traded to the Eagles last season.
Phillips will serve as a veteran leader to developing edge rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, both drafted last year, and his presence should help improve the production of the entire unit.
Also on day one, Morgan signed do-it-all linebacker Devin Lloyd. A first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2022, Lloyd has had three 100-plus tackle seasons, recorded 13 tackles for loss in the last two years and had five interceptions last season, earning a Pro Bowl selection. He’ll replace free agent Christian Rozeboom and upgrade the middle of coordinator Ejiro Evero’s defense.
For the second time on day one, Morgan wasn’t afraid to spend big to land the best available player, inking Lloyd for $45 million over three years, guaranteeing $25 million.
With his defense looking better and his pockets significantly lighter, Morgan looked to do a little bargain shopping as free agency’s first week went on. He added a trio of offensive linemen, addressing the holes with a trio of one-year contracts.
Former Green Bay Packer Rasheed Walker, who has started 48 games over the last four years, will replace Ekwonu at left tackle. Replacing Nijman as the backup tackle will be Stone Forsythe, who has played 70 games and started 27 for the Seahawks and Raiders at both left and right tackle.
Center Luke Fortner, who replaces Mays, is the highest drafted of the three new linemen—a third rounder in 2022. He has played 68 games, starting 44, for the Jaguars and Saints.
The fact that all three were brought in on one-year deals may be a sign that Morgan plans to address the long term future of tackle and center in the upcoming draft, bringing in someone to develop behind the veterans.
The last two signings likely won’t have as big an on-field impact, but they’ll provide valuable depth and peace of mind for quarterback Bryce Young.
Andy Dalton has been the backup, and even took the starting job briefly, for all of Bryce Young’s career, but the veteran is now 38 years old. The Panthers brought in Kenny Pickett, 11 years younger, journeyman with four teams under his belt and proud owner of a Super Bowl ring. As Young grows into his role as the face of the franchise, he’s less in need of a guiding veteran. So the team went younger with his backup.
In another nod to Young, the Panthers signed John Metchie III, a 1,100-yard receiver at Alabama during Young’s Heisman season of 2021. Metchie has produced just 686 yards with three teams in four NFL seasons and may have a bigger on-field impact with the Panthers as a kick returner. Still, he’s a familiar face from the past and provides receiver depth.
The Panthers still have some tinkering to do. As stated above, the team will likely look to draft a tackle and center. They also need to either sign or draft depth at running back, safety and corner.
A week into free agency, however, the team’s to-do list has far more check marks than holes.
