So, how did the reconstructed Carolina Panthers front office do in their first offseason?
Seth Walder of ESPN Analytics recently graded each NFL team’s trips through free agency and the draft here in 2024. Walder marks up the Dan Morgan-led Panthers with a solid ‘B-‘ grade, highlighting the acquisition of wide receiver Diontae Johnson as the move he liked:
The Panthers’ biggest challenge was dealing with an extreme need at wide receiver, and they were able to come up with a creative solution, dealing cornerback Donte Jackson for Johnson. The former Steelers receiver brings a much-needed skill set — most notably, the ability to get open with regularity. Johnson ranked 12th in open score in 2023 and first in 2022, per our receiver tracking metrics).
The former Pro Bowler was acquired at the beginning of the new league year from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Carolina agreed to send over cornerback Donte Jackson along with a pick swap for the pass-catching technician.
Walder also provided some thoughts on who the Panthers did (Derrick Brown) and did not (Brian Burns) give a long-term extension to:
I’m torn on Carolina’s choice. It has to operate like it is in Year 2 of a rookie QB window, so it might have wanted to retain and pay Burns, but this team is far away from contending and the draft capital helps in the long term. The Panthers made the opposite choice with defensive tackle Derrick Brown, whom they signed to a $96 million extension. Though I’d have preferred to allocate that money to Burns, I like Brown, who led all defensive tackles in run stop win rate last season (47%) by a healthy margin. They paid for that skill, as $24 million per year isn’t cheap.
Speaking of not being cheap, Walder questioned Carolina’s investment into guard Robert Hunt as well. That five-year, $100 million pact, which was a move he disliked, probably hurt that final grade a bit.
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