The Carolina Panthers have been stuck in a rudderless rebuild for years. After some strong front office moves in 2024, the team’s new GM just might be moving the team forward.
Over the past several weeks we’ve been assessing Dan Morgan’s performance in his first year on the job as general manager of the Carolina Panthers. We’ve reviewed his trades, scrutinized his free agent additions, and evaluated his 2024 draft performance, including his draft day trades and early selections along with players selected in Rounds 3-7.
It’s now time to roll everything up and give Dan Morgan a final grade for his rookie year. Here’s the summary of what’s most important in evaluating Morgan’s 2024 performance.
Trades
On the whole, the Panthers did very well in the five trades Dan Morgan engineered in 2024.
While the Brian Burns trade seems underwhelming on the surface – the Panthers only got a 2024 second-round pick (No. 39), a 2024 fifth-round pick swap (from No. 166 to No. 141), and a 2025 fifth-round pick – context matters. When Morgan was hired, it was already a foregone conclusion that Burns wasn’t coming back to Carolina.
Ultimately, there just weren’t trade partners who were both willing to both surrender a first round pick for Burns and give him a monster extension. In the end, Morgan got what he could in terms of draft assets while avoiding a five-year, $141 million commitment for a player who is clearly very good, but may never be great.
While the Burns trade generated headlines there were two other below-the-radar trades that generated significant value for the Panthers.
First, Morgan turned straw into gold by trading 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Barrett to the Seattle Seahawks for veteran cornerback Michael Jackson. Seattle ultimately waived Barrett. Jackson, meanwhile, started all 17 games for the Panthers, was ranked the No. 45 corner in the league by PFF, and will likely be the Panthers most important player to re-sign in 2025.
Next, Morgan absolutely fleeced the Dallas Cowboys by trading away struggling wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and a seventh-round pick in return for a fourth-round pick. Bravo, Mr. Morgan. Bravo!
Trade Grade: B+
Free Agents
During his first season on the job, Dan Morgan signed six players to contracts whose annual average salary exceeded $5 million per year.
Guards Damien Lewis (4-years, $53 million) and Robert Hunt (5-years, $100 million) were absolute home run signings. They both had strong 2024 campaigns, are in their primes, and will solidify Carolina’s interior offensive line for years to come.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Josey Jewell (3-years, $18.8 million), defensive end A’Shawn Robinson (3-years, $22.5 million), outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum (2-years, $12.5 million), and edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney (2-years, $20 million) started all 50 games in which they appeared and on the whole their impact exceeded their cap hits.
Five of these six players should be back in 2025 – and it could be all six assuming Clowney’s deal is restructured – meaning there are fewer roster holes to fill in this year’s free agency cycle. Morgan essentially nailed all six of his “big ticket” free agent signings in 2024.
Free Agent Summary: A-
The 2024 draft
The draft isn’t just about the players that are taken, it’s also about the flurry of trades that happen on draft day.
As you probably know, I play the role of the Benevolent Dictator of Trade Down Island, and I was satisfied with the way Dan Morgan smartly traded down last year. First, Morgan wisely moved up early (to No. 32 in the first round from No. 33 in the second) to get the fifth-year option on wide receiver Xavier Legette. Morgan then smartly traded back twice (from No. 39 to No. 46, and from No. 65 to No. 72) while picking up an additional 2025 second round pick (No. 57). This strategy pleases your Benevolent Dictator.
Now, Dan Morgan’s draft strategy in Rounds 1-2 was shaky. While it was smart to take a wide receiver at No. 32, the question will be if the Panthers took the right player. Over the next few years Legette’s play will be compared to fellow wide receivers Keon Coleman (No. 33) and Ladd McConkey (No. 34), both of whom outplayed Legette in their rookie seasons. Comparisons aside, Legette showed promise, along with some growing pains, registering 49 receptions for 497 yards and four touchdowns in his debut campaign.
Morgan’s decision to draft a running back – any running back – at No. 46 in the second round was a strategic blunder. Throw in the fact that Jonathon Brooks was recovering from a college ACL tear and it makes the decision even that much more indefensible.
Where Morgan excelled was in the later rounds of the draft. Third-round linebacker Trevin Wallace had 64 tackles in 13 games. Fourth-round tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders 33 receptions for 342 yards. Fifth-round cornerback Chau Smith-Wade struggled at times, which is common for late-round picks, but gained valuable experience with 39 tackles in 14 games. Sixth-round defensive Jaden Crumedy was injured before the season and didn’t make his debut until the Panthers last five games, but he made 13 tackles and half a sack in just 121 defensive snaps.
Draft grade: B
Dan Morgan’s overall assessment
As noted above, there’s a lot to like about Dan Morgan’s first year on the job. He made solid trades, nailed his free agent signings, and may have found some late-round value in the 2024 draft. With these moves he added top-end talent in guards Lewis and Hunt, a handful of seasoned veterans that were both effective and affordable, and a rookie class that ended up getting a ton of on-field experience.
Morgan did all of this while preserving 2025 cap space and manufacturing an additional 2025 second round pick.
The only major strategic mistake was investing the Panthers 2024 second round pick in a running back when almost any other position except for offensive line would have been more valuable.
If this is how well Dan Morgan performed in his rookie year, I’m excited to see what he does in his sophomore season.
Dan Morgan’s overall 2024 grade: A-