The Carolina Panthers made some moves over the last week or so, jettisoning some dead weight and retaining some key impending free agents. Bringing back Mario Addison, Wes Horton, and Kawann Short (on the franchise tag) gives the Panthers some continuity going into next season, as they currently only have one starter to replace on defense. With some of their bigger questions potentially answered, let’s take a look at how they may attack free agency.
Impending Free Agents
The Panthers still have some free agents that they will likely chat with about extensions. The big names among them are OT Mike Remmers, WR Ted Ginn, and CB Leonard Johnson.
Remmers could see more money on the open market, as offensive tackles are scarce in the NFL. While many Panthers fans would love to see him gone, Remmers does provide value as a “swing” tackle, in the sense that he can play both tackle positions when needed. He’s not anything special at either spot, but he’s certainly a passable right tackle and a better option than most teams have as a backup left tackle. He also can play center. Obviously poor tackle play has plagued the Panthers for years, and we saw just how bad it can get when Oher went down last season. That said, if Remmers couldn’t have shifted over to left tackle, things would have looked much worse. So I think there’s an argument to be made for at least a conversation there, especially with the prospect of potentially needing to find two new starters staring them in the face.
Ted Ginn would make a lot of sense to return since he’s played his best football in the black and teal, while Leonard Johnson could be had for cheap as a back up plan if the Panthers can’t find a nickel. That said, both could be improved upon in the market.
Positional Needs
Many of the same pieces are still around from the 2015 Super Bowl squad. However, some of it will require replacing and enhancing in order to get back to upper tier play. And a few positions have little depth for injury problems.
Starting with the defensive line, the Panthers did a great job to bring back Mario Addison and Wes Horton. However, last season Ealy and Addison both played their best ball by essentially being in a time share at defensive end. The team could look to give them both full time starting jobs, but I think that will greatly nullify their efficiency. I think we can expect a veteran signing as a possible early down guy, or an older player looking for their last contract like Julius Peppers or Dwight Freeney. I wouldn’t consider Charles Johnson entirely out of the question yet either.
Looking in the secondary, the team theoretically has their top two corners and one of the safety positions figured out. That said, they lack veteran depth and a nickel corner, and could stand to find an upgrade or at least competition for Tre Boston. Gettleman is usually good for 1-2 moves in the secondary every season, and has some more money to spend this time around.
Looking at the offense, just about every position aside from quarterback could stand to be addressed. With several veteran running backs hitting the market, the Panthers could try to find a more viable compliment to Jonathan Stewart now that Tolbert is no longer in the picture. The same can be said about the tight end position, and while Ed Dickson does technically still have a job, the Panthers have clearly been looking for a better option there.
The offensive line could also use some more depth, along with potentially needing to find two new starters at tackle. There will be some proven veteran talent out there, it just depends on what the cost will be. There’s a considerable dearth of offensive line talent across the league that is sure to push prices up.
Ideally, you’d like to see the Panthers bring in guys who can fight for starting positions and compliment existing talent. I think we see them bring in a couple of veteran defensive backs, a “starting” defensive end (possibly in a similar situation to Jared Allen), and a few offensive lineman who could be starting tackles.
My FA Wish List
OT: Riley Reiff, Matt Kalil
WR: Pierre Garcon, Ted Ginn Jr., Kendall Wright
DB: Captain Munnerlyn, Barry Church, Tony Jefferson
Other: FB Kyle Juszczyk, RB Danny Woodhead, TE Larry Donnell
Just a few names I think Carolina will take a look at and could feasibly sign. Who you looking for, Panthers fans?