Carolina Panthers fans felt great about how the 2024 season ended.
Bryce Young was playing well, and the Panthers’ offense was clicking, leading to optimism heading into the offseason. Despite this, the Panthers have plenty of holes and things to address this offseason that could be a challenge for Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan.
Cap Space
The Carolina Panthers are projected to have approximately $30 million in cap space.
This is a low number considering the number of holes on the team and the lack of elite talent. Three of the top four earners are on the offensive line, with Taylor Moton topping that list by earning over $30 million next year. It’s difficult to make cuts to these biggest earners, as the offensive line performed last season, so it seems like creating more cap space will be difficult.
This will require some tough decision cuts, like Shaq Thompson, or some savvy signings around the margin, and it’s yet to be seen how capable this front office is of finding these signings.
The Defense
The Panthers’ defense, to put it politely, was historically poor. They broke the 43-year-old record for giving up the most points in a single NFL season.
They struggled to rush the passer all season and were easily the worst run defense all year, surrendering 36 more yards a game than the second-to-last team. And key injuries to Derrick Brown and players coming in and out of the lineup didn’t excuse the defense’s historically bad year.
The defense needs a rebuild badly, and Dan Morgan failed to get defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero the necessary players to fit his 3-4 scheme last offseason. He needs to use most of his resources this offseason to address the defense.
The Panthers Need A Playmaker
The Panthers lack playmakers on offense and defense.
They don’t have a receiver that creates big plays out of nothing or a defender that can change the game with a sack or an interception. There are plenty of solid pieces and contributions, but it’s a problem when Adam Thielen is your receiving yards leader with 615 yards and A’Shawn Robinson and Jadeveon Clowney led your team in sacks with 5.5 each.
Again, not bad players at all, but to be a good team, you need a guy who can impact a game more.
Nailing The Draft
The previous three problems emphasize the need for the front office to nail the draft.
A good draft class can alleviate limited cap space, bad defense, and lack of playmaking. Hitting on both the eighth and 54th pick is essential, as last year, the Panthers’ first-round and second-round picks got their careers off to rough starts. Xavier Legette struggled to make an impact and had drop issues plaguing him throughout the year.
Second-round pick Jonathon Brooks suffered a second ACL tear in the span of 13 months, putting his sophomore year in jeopardy and making it more difficult to justify the pick.
A team in rebuilding mode can’t afford to miss back-to-back years on high picks, and there must be a sense of urgency to nail the high picks and find starter-level players late in the draft or undrafted free agency.
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