We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!
There are 83 days left until the first day of the Carolina Panthers 2025 season. With that, we talk about the man wearing number 83 for the Panthers, wide receiver David Moore.
Career overview
Moore was a 2017 seventh round pick by the Seattle Seahawks and appeared in one game with no stats as a rookie. Over the next three seasons he earned an important role in the Seahawks passing game. Between 2018 and 2020 he hauled in 78 total receptions for 1,163 yards and an impressive 13 touchdowns.
Despite the solid three-year stint in Seattle, his career didn’t take off from there. In 2021 he actually signed with the Panthers but was released just before the beginning of the season, never appearing in game for Carolina. He ended up appearing in two games for the Denver Broncos and one game for the Green Bay Packers in 2021, but didn’t record any stats.
The 6-foot-0, 220-pound receiver then missed the entire 2022 season with an MCL tear but returned in 2023 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, appearing in seven games with five receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Last year he signed (again) with the Panthers and this time he lasted past roster cuts. Moore appeared in all 17 of Carolina’s games last year, starting five. He had a nice bounce back year with 32 receptions for 351 yards and three touchdowns.
David Moore’s 2025 outlook
At 30 years old, David Moore is a smart, solid rotational player with a high floor but a limited ceiling. He’s cheap as well, at least by NFL standards, playing on a one-year, $1.4 million contract. Any contributions from a guy who accounts for 0.43% of a teams nearly $300 million salary cap is gravy.
Moore will make smart, timely plays, but he won’t win you games (nor is he paid to). Every team needs reliable receivers who can efficiently put up somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 receptions and 300 yards on the season, and that’s exactly what Moore can do. His 2024 PFF grade of 63.1 ranked third among Panthers receivers and No. 86 in the league for his position, which is just fine.
The Panthers wide receiving corps has the potential to be special this year, provided the old guy (Adam Thielen) doesn’t get too, too fast and the young guys (Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Tetairoa McMillan) can take a big step forward.
Having David Moore as WR5 is a good place for the Panthers to be. Injuries happen. Young guys experience learning pains. David Moore will likely play a handful of snaps every week and make a catch or two when called upon, essentially reprising his largely successful rotational role from last year.