4 questions for the Carolina Panthers on the rest of free agency

There are still questions worth asking about this class, though.

The NFL’s 2021 free agency period is beginning to wind down, with Monday marking the two-week point since the market effectively opened at the start of the legal tampering period. The Carolina Panthers have been busy since that point. They have signed around a dozen new players, the majority of which are coming in on relatively cheap one and two-year contracts. The front office went in with a clear plan and were transparent about it, promising a “really targeted” approach, which for the most part they’ve stuck to. So, how have they done?

On the bright side, we know that the Panthers have checked at least a few boxes. They finally added a red zone threat at tight end, filled a large hole at middle linebacker and boosted their pass rush in a big way. There are still questions worth asking about this class, though. Here are four on our mind going into what will likely be the last active week of free agency before the focus turns to the draft.

To pay or not to pay? Examining the Carolina Panthers’ pending 2021 free agents

Let’s take a look at each of the team’s pending free agents for next year and decide whether or not they are worth keeping around, beginning with the offensive linemen.

The Carolina Panthers made some… interesting personnel decisions last offseason. While there’s nothing they could have done about Luke Kuechly’s sudden retirement, some of their moves were truly confusing. Trading Trai Turner for Russell Okung and extending Shaq Thompson and Christian McCaffrey while allowing James Bradberry to walk were all more than questionable decisions, to say nothing of the unpardonable sin of releasing former league MVP Cam Newton and using that cap space to sign an inferior bridge QB to a three-year deal.

Hopefully general manager Marty Hurney will make better decisions with the 2021 class. Let’s take a look at each of the team’s pending free agents for next year and decide whether or not they are worth keeping around, beginning with the offensive linemen.

Panthers 2020 free agency: Grading the second wave of moves

Here’s our grades for the team’s second wave of moves.

The Carolina Panthers have been one of the most active NFL teams in free agency this year, making stunning trades and scooping up a lot of players on low-cost deals. The first week consisted of mostly bargain shopping. It was a totally different story in week two, though.

Here’s our grades for the team’s second wave of moves.

Signed: QB P.J. Walker

First up, the Panthers signed the best player from the XFL’s short-lived 2020 season. Former Colts quarterback P.J. Walker was the league’s answer to Patrick Mahomes and was the runaway favorite to win their MVP. Signing him gives Carolina a young backup who showed electric potential over those five games, albeit against a lower level of competition. At two years and just $1.565 million, Walker is a steal.

Grade: A

Pages: 1234567

Panthers 2020 free agency: Grading the first wave of moves

Here are our letter grades for their first week’s worth of moves.

It’s been six days since the NFL’s legal tampering period began ahead of 2020 free agency. Since then, some massive changes have taken place around the league. The Panthers have been near the epicenter of the seismic shifts, making a major move at quarterback and being active in signing low-cost free agents to fill out a depleted depth chart.

Here are our letter grades for their first week’s worth of moves.

Signing: QB Teddy Bridgewater

What the Panthers are doing with Cam Newton is both a bad look and probably bad for business, depending on how it plays out and if they can get anything in a trade. However, the signing of Bridgewater is a solid move if you separate it from the Newton situation. He’s familiar with Joe Brady’s scheme and is one of the most effective game-manager quarterbacks in the league. Bridgewater’s three-year, $63 million deal isn’t official yet, but when it is it’ll give them an above-average starting QB at a reasonable price.

Grade: B+

Pages: 123456789101112

Report: Greg Van Roten, Tre Boston also expected to test free agent market

They also reported that left guard Greg Van Roten and free safety Tre Boston are expected to do the same.

Last week we learned from ESPN that Panthers defensive end Mario Addison is expected to test free agency, even though the team remains interested in him. On Wednesday, the Athletic confirmed Addison will hit the market. They also reported that left guard Greg Van Roten and free safety Tre Boston are expected to do the same.

Addison has been Carolina’s top pass rusher for a while now, leading them in sacks the last few seasons. Losing him to another team would undoubtedly hurt the pass rush, but at least the Panthers have a potential superstar coming up at the same position in Brian Burns. If Addison does sign elsewhere, Burns moves up and becomes a full-time starter.

The alternatives for Boston and Van Roten are less ideal, though.

Since he left the Panthers after the 2016 season, Boston has been bouncing around the league on a series of one-year deals, first with the Chargers, then the Cardinals, then back to Carolina. While he has played well, a long-term contract has eluded him. Re-signing Boston would be a smart move in our opinion. However, it seems like he’s going to be one of the rebuild/retool casualties.

The problem is there’s absolutely no suitable substitute on the roster who can play his spot. Eric Reid can occasionally fill in at free safety in a pinch, but his coverage is too suspect to do it regularly. Reid is a much more natural fit closer to the box as a strong safety or linebacker.

The backup safeties on the roster don’t exactly inspire much confidence, either. Colin Jones is a career special teamer and the few times he has played safety it hasn’t gone well, while the likes of Natrell Jamerson and Quin Blanding don’t have enough experience.

There are a few quality safeties who are about to become free agents like Boston. The best of them is Anthony Harris of the Vikings, who led the NFL in interceptions last season. However, if the Panthers aren’t interested in paying the 27-year old Boston, they probably won’t be signing another veteran. Most likely, they’ll have to find a new starting free safety in the draft. Antoine Winfield’s kid is our favorite in this class, but there are a few others worth considering.

As for Van Roten, he seems like a much easier piece to replace. While he’s a strong run blocker, he also just turned 30 years old and his pass protection was a serious problem in 2019. On the roster, the most logical successor is Dennis Daley, who played a few games at left guard last year when Van Roten went down with an injury. He’s still got a lot to learn but he did flash a few times.

The situation was complicated by the team’s baffling decision to trade right guard Trai Turner to the Chargers in exchange for left tackle Russell Okung. That move (to be made official next week) leaves Carolina very thin at guard in general. Unless they’re planning to give a guy like Tyler Larsen a much larger role, they’ll have to add at least two more serviceable guards between now and the start of the season.

In free agency, the top options are Joe Thuney and Brandon Scherff. Paying for guards would be an unusual move for a “rebuilding” franchise, though. This is another position they’ll probably address in the draft. The good news there is that it’s a very deep offensive tackle class. Picking one of the blue-chip OT prospects early in the draft and sliding them inside to guard would alleviate a lot of concerns about the offensive line.

[lawrence-related id=619317]

[vertical-gallery id=619205]

Ranking the Panthers’ position needs going into 2020 free agency

Let’s break down their position needs one at a time based on just how badly they need more help.

One week from today, the new NFL league year begins and so will free agency. In addition to having a lot of roster holes to fill, the Carolina Panthers also have a bunch of pending free agents which they’ll have to either re-sign or replace.

Let’s break down their position needs one at a time based on just how badly they need more help.

1. Cornerback

Carolina was already in a pretty rough spot at corner and things could get much worse fast. The team does not plan to use its franchise tag on its top corner James Bradberry and he’s expecting at least $15 million a year on his next deal. Expect Bradberry to sign somewhere he won’t have to cover Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, Mike Evans six times a year. The Panthers might also lose their serviceable backup Ross Cockrell and their slot cornerback Javien Elliott, also both pending free agents. The good news here is that if they don’t sign somebody, it’s a deep 2020 draft class at this position.

Potential targets: Bradley Roby, Darqueze Dennard, Kendall Fuller

Pages: 1234567

4 Panthers players who deserve contract extensions in 2020

The Carolina Panthers have at least a dozen difficult personnel decisions to make this year.

The Carolina Panthers have at least a dozen difficult personnel decisions to make this year. The hardest one may be what to do with starting outside cornerback James Bradberry, who is set to become a free agent in March. Bradberry is the team’s best cornerback but that’s a very low bar and keeping him around might cost a lot of salary cap space – and there’s not much to go around.

Bradberry’s fate is debatable. It might make sense to trade or franchise tag him. We honestly don’t know what direction the franchise will choose with Bradberry, especially with a new coaching staff coming in.

However, there are a few players who definitely deserve extensions this offseason. Here are four of them.

OT Taylor Moton

Carolina’s offensive line has been a mess more often than not over the last few years. The exception to that rule has been right tackle Taylor Moton, who has generally been the team’s most consistent lineman and is the best aside from Trai Turner. Moton is solid blocking for the run and protecting the quarterback. If the Panthers don’t pay him now and Moton performs well in 2020, his price tag could grow beyond their means.

Pages: 1234