We bring you another edition of the Answers portion of this week’s fan mailbag!
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! It is the slow part of our NFL Offseason, and as fans start to focus on the summer and get out on vacations, things become a bit less active. But fear not, I will be here all offseason answering YOUR questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or completely off topic! Down below you’ll find your answers to this week’s questions, but as a reminder, save your burning questions for part one of the mailbag, “Brian Asks”, to start every week. You comment with questions, and I’ll bring answers during the latter part of each week. Let’s dive right in!
rtb2850: 1) Which multi-year unrestricted free agent signee will be next offseason’s Dane Jackson and be a one-and-done cap casualty?
2) Relative to draft position, which draft pick will have the most disappointing rookie season?
3) Which returning Panther with promise and potential will fall short of taking the proverbial leap this season?
- I hope this isn’t the case, but EDGE Pat Jones would fit the bill if the Panthers rookie draft picks and guys like DJ Johnson and DJ Wonnum overtake him for reps. He’s a high motor guy, and I love his attitude, but he wasn’t exactly super productive for the Vikings save for a few choice games here and there. If the Panthers do cut Jones, it means they really nailed the rest of the front seven moves around him this off-season.
- I think RB Trevor Etienne would be my fit for this criteria. This is mostly because I expect WR Tetairoa McMillan and EDGE players Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen to get a lot of snaps regardless of the direction the team is going, while Etienne may not see a ton of offensive snaps just because he’s got Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle ahead of him. He should still get slotted in for some receiving/third down back snaps, but I would not be shocked to see the same criticisms of his usage as we’ve seen of Raheem Blackshear in past seasons; “they aren’t giving him the ball enough”.
- This was a difficult one, but my guess would be WR Jalen Coker. He was extremely productive given expectations last season, but now he’ll have to contend with McMillan, Xavier Legette, and Adam Thielen for snaps on offense. Unless there’s an injury or he overtakes Legettte, I think his stats may regress simply as a result of decreased volume.
RebuildingSince95: How is Jonathan Brooks recovery going?
There hasn’t been any real news on this front since the Panthers decided to place him on injured/reserve, which at this point in the off-season means he’s completely done for the 2025 regular season. They do not have the ability to bring him back to the active roster at all in 2025. I’d imagine the team will be mostly quiet until at least late into the season, but he’s certainly not going to quit. 2026 is when we can revisit this subject.
Snarky_Comet: Any concern that Scourton hasn’t signed yet?
Why on earth did Houston start the precedent of fully guaranteeing 2nd round picks? All it did was force 2nd round holdouts for other teams, like us. Would it be safe to say that all other 31 teams absolutely hates Houston’s front office right now?
I’m really not concerned at all with this. This isn’t the first time rookie early picks have taken a bit to sign a contract, and a lot of that has to do with the overall structure of the contract and the cash they want up front. Scourton probably expected to be drafted in the first round, where the terms of the contracts are a lot more favorable for the rookie. The large majority of NFL draft picks only get one real contract in the NFL, I’m definitely not against them making those terms as good as possible for their future. Plus, its not like Scourton isn’t participating in Offseason activities. This isn’t really a holdout as much as just dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s in a way that’s agreeable to both sides.
schrodingersblackcat: If you could invite a current Panther to your backyard cookout this summer, who would it be and why?
Xavier Legette. I enjoy showing my friends food crimes and weird food recipes. I’d love to have XL around to cook up some gamey BBQ with his vast knowledge of squirrel and other non-traditional BBQ animals.
And finally, some highlighted comments:
Temujin07: Shaq is heading to the Bills. Best of luck to him except when we play.
I’m glad Shaq Thompson found himself a landing spot to end his career. I was low key hoping the Panthers would find a way to bring him back, but I think he deserves to make a run at a Super Bowl. Shaq will always be under appreciated since he cut his teeth in the league alongside Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, two of the best. But he was a mainstay for Carolina, and I think he made a heck of a career for himself as a linebacker considering he was drafted as someone where nobody really knew what position he was going to play.
PeterHollandActor: Pratt might be the better, cheaper option given Alexander’s likely price tag and injury history. Go for it, Dan!
schrodingersblackcat: As intriguing as Alexander or Pratt might be, I’m in the camp of using our FA dollars to add quality depth in the secondary.
Smart teams tend to save the splashy FA signings for when their window has opened.
gsbshsb: Lol, get ‘em all! Pratt, Alexander, and Blackmon!
Panthers fans definitely want the Panthers to make some moves on the secondary, but whether its a name or a price, your mileage may vary. Personally, I think the Panthers should go get S Julian Blackmon and CB Mike Hilton before the season starts, as that would round out their secondary quite well. But we’re in the end game of the off-season, these guys don’t need a whole lot of prep and teams need to decide exactly how much money they want to fork out to attract their services when those players can just wait for a playoff contenders to see a bad injury or two. Stay patient.
That’s all for this week Panthers fans! Stay tuned, and bring me your questions again next week!