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Carolina Sports News

Offseason In Review: Carolina Panthers

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Within a 10-month span, the Panthers had seen their owner throw a drink at a fan — amid a string of headlines involving the Carolina boss — and the team’s handpicked quarterback benched by Week 3. This came after the Panthers’ 2024 coaching search, due in part to David Tepper‘s past meddling, saw some big names bow out. As bleak as the franchise’s outlook appeared after Bryce Young‘s September struggles, signs of life emerged as the season wound down.

Carolina’s defense still ranked last, as the season ended with an NFL-worst minus-193 point differential, but the team saw Young make strides weeks after reentering the lineup. The Young-Dave Canales partnership began to pay some dividends, moving the team’s nearly scrapped plan back into focus. Coming out of the season, no Tepper- or Young-driven headlines have dragged down the NFC South club. The Panthers made significant updates to their defense, while Young will enter the season with another first-round wide receiver to target.

Extensions and restructures:

In a remarkable turnaround, Horn managed to score a $25MM-per-year deal that briefly topped the cornerback market. The Panthers had seen the former No. 8 overall pick fall well behind the No. 9 pick in that draft (Patrick Surtain), with injuries frequently impeding the South Carolina alum. Horn exited 2024 having played in just 37 of a possible 68 games as a pro. Up until days before last season, the cornerback market had remained frozen for more than two years. Jaire Alexander‘s $21MM-AAV Packers deal topped the market, but Surtain and Jalen Ramsey changed that. Horn submitting his healthiest NFL season placed him in position to receive a monster raise as well.

Pro Football Focus ranked Horn 60th among CB regulars last season, and Pro-Football-Reference charged him with six touchdowns allowed to go with the highest passer rating (as the closest defender) yielded of his career. Even as Ejiro Evero‘s defense sunk to 32nd in points and yards allowed, Horn made his first Pro Bowl. Perhaps more importantly, he missed only two games. Rather than have Horn play on a fifth-year option, the Panthers extended him at a top-market rate.

NFL contract value is not always a merit-based; timing matters significantly as markets are established. Horn had seen a broken foot sideline him for 14 games as a rookie and then a hamstring injury shelve him for 10 games during a 2023 in which the second-generation NFLer missed 11. Horn has delivered flashes, and the Panthers had a big-ticket salary slot open after trading Brian Burns in 2024.

Ahead of his age-26 season, Horn managed to eclipse Surtain in terms of AAV ($24MM) and fully guaranteed money ($40.7MM) despite the Denver ace’s Defensive Player of the Year season. After the cap spiked by another $24MM, however, Horn and then Derek Stingley Jr. pounced.

The Panthers are making an expensive bet on Horn shaking his early-career injury trouble. This represents a course change for the team, which let both Josh Norman and James Bradberry walk in free agency (under Dave Gettleman and Matt Rhule, respectively) rather than authorize an extension. Guarantees here only go through 2026, however, providing some protection for the team in case Horn cannot shake the injury trouble that largely defined his rookie-deal tenure. Horn receiving Pro Bowl recognition given the Panthers’ anemic 2024 pass rush also undoubtedly raised the team’s confidence in the Rhule-era draftee.

Thielen’s underdog story is poised to continue into a 13th NFL season, as the former Vikings rookie-camp tryout body heads into a third Panthers campaign. Despite the team making three first- or second-round receiver investments over the past three drafts, Thielen has persisted. He entered the offseason with no guarantees remaining on his contract. The Panthers gave him a slight bump, though not one that would prevent a release in the event the aging pass catcher (35 in August) showed a notable decline in camp.

Outlasting the likes of Jonathan Mingo and Diontae Johnson in Charlotte, Thielen produced after the Panthers opted against trading him at the 2024 deadline. Thielen accumulated at least 99 receiving yards in three of the seven games after he came back from a hamstring injury, providing a reliable option as Young made late-season strides.

The Panthers asked about D.K. Metcalf, a former Canales Seahawks pupil, but did not make an offer. They then chose Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall. Thielen could find himself in trade rumors again this year, which may well be his NFL finale, but the three-time 1,000-yard target also is positioned to continue serving as a Young security blanket and mentor to a cast now comprised of three first- or second-year receivers.

Free agency additions:

Losing Derrick Brown in Week 1 came after the Panthers devoted curiously modest resources to replacing Brian Burns. The result: a defense that allowed by far the most points in franchise history. Carolina yielded 534 points; the 30-year-old franchise’s previous-worst was 470 (in 2019). Even if the 17th game is factored in, Evero’s second Panthers defense allowed a team-worst 31.4 points per game. Horn managed an extension coming out of this mess, and Evero has a chance to rebound. Carolina devoted plenty of resources to fixing this broken unit this offseason.

The team chased the biggest fish in the D-line waters in free agency, coming close to having a deal done with Milton Williams. The ascending Eagles supporting-caster, PFR’s No. 3 free agent, was deep in talks with the Panthers. ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated the sides were working to finalize a deal hours into the legal tampering period. The talks took a turn when the Patriots swooped in, submitting an offer the Panthers did not match. Both New England (Christian Barmore) and Carolina (Brown) already rostered D-tackles at $20MM-plus per year, and the Panthers stood down.

The Pats have Milton on a four-year, $104MM deal that came with $51MM fully guaranteed. Williams sits behind only Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins for DT AAV and full guarantees, and the cap-rich Pats’ actions led the Panthers elsewhere in this market. Wharton used a big contract year alongside Jones to land a monster payday given his UDFA NFL entrance. Dan Morgan‘s right-hand man, Brandt Tilis, was on the Chiefs’ staff when they plucked Wharton out of Division II Missouri S&T in 2020.

PFR’s No. 46 free agent, Wharton saw his market form after both Williams and Osa Odighizuwa were signed early (the latter re-signed with the Cowboys before free agency). The Chiefs wanted to retain him but saw that become unrealistic, due to Jones’ DT-record deal, early in free agency. The Panthers added another interior rusher, albeit one without much pre-2024 production.

Never clearing two sacks or five QB hits in a season before 2024, Wharton broke through in a contract year by registering 6.5 sacks and 11 hits alongside Jones. He added two more sacks in the playoffs. In Wharton’s defense, he had never started more than one game in a season until last year. The increased usage attracted FA interest. It will be interesting to see if the attention Brown will command from O-lines can help Wharton in a similar way.

PFF did not rank Wharton as a strong run defender last season, but the Panthers landed on Bobby Brown to help in that department. Squeezing into our top 50, Brown overlapped with Evero as a rookie in 2021. The former Rams fourth-round pick became a starter after the 2023 losses of Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson, and PFF graded him as a top-30 run stopper (among interior D-linemen) in each of the past two seasons.

Brown remaining productive in this area post-Aaron Donald helped his free agency cause, and only going into his age-25 season helped his cause as well. Though, the Panthers are holding onto some guaranteed money until they observe his 2025 work. Whereas Wharton received two years fully guaranteed, half of Brown’s $5.55MM base salary will lock in on Day 3 of the 2026 league year.

This year’s safety market saw an upswing for the position; no player did better than Moehrig. As the cap ballooned by another $24MM, Moehrig fared better than the top free agent safeties in 2023 (Jessie Bates) and ’24 (Xavier McKinney). Moehrig is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid safety. Like Wharton, he used a big contract year to secure a nice FA payday. Unlike Wharton, Moehrig was a four-year starter on his rookie deal. The Raiders’ struggles after their 2021 playoff berth dimmed Moehrig’s profile, but teams were waiting in free agency.

Marcus Epps going down in Week 3 allowed for more Moehrig plays near the line of scrimmage (439 box snaps in 2024 compared to 326 in ’23), and he responded with a career-best 104 tackles to go with five TFLs and a sack. Moehrig also snared two interceptions, giving him five over the past two seasons. The Panthers still hosted Julian Blackmon on a visit after this signing, and an Evero-Justin Simmons reunion — the DC already has several former Rams and a Bronco (Josey Jewell) on this defense — came up recently despite the team choosing a safety (Ohio State’s Lathan Ransom) in Round 4.

Although the draft became the gateway to the Panthers attempting to solve their post-Burns EDGE issue, the team took a flier on Jones. Formerly a D.J. Wonnum teammate in Minnesota, Jones made an impact as a rotational rusher for a top-five defense last season. While backing up Pro Bowlers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, Jones tallied seven sacks and 12 QB hits. The Vikings, who also drafted Dallas Turner in the 2024 first round, were not in a position to re-sign Jones. The Panthers will provide more playing time for a player with just five career starts.

Dowdle entered free agency with an interesting resume. With the Cowboys for five years, he logged only seven carries from 2020-22. Waiting behind the Ezekiel Elliott–Tony Pollard pair, Dowdle served as a special-teamer. But the Cowboys used him as a Pollard backup in 2023 and then needed him to start a year later. Dallas letting Pollard walk and not drafting a running back opened a door for Dowdle, who quickly overtook a shopworn Elliott, who had returned on a low-cost deal.

Dowdle glided for 1,079 yards (4.6 per carry) last season. While the former UDFA’s 61 rush yards over expected (per Next Gen Stats) was a mid-pack number, the South Carolina native carries low tread on his tires — at 331 career carries — entering an age-27 season. He will be positioned as a Chuba Hubbard backup likely to see notable work with Jonathon Brooks out for the season.

Renfrow, 29, is back after spending the 2024 season out of football. A post-June 1 Raiders cut last year, Renfrow quickly fell out of favor with the team during Josh McDaniels‘ HC tenure. Bizarrely going from 1,000-yard receiver to $16MM-per-year extension recipient — a deal McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler authorized — to a cog that did not fit into McDaniels’ scheme, Renfrow totaled only 585 yards from 2022-23. An ulcerative colitis diagnosis helped keep Renfrow out of football last year, but the Clemson alum — a player who led the 2021 Raiders playoff team in receiving — has recovered from the autoimmune disease and will attempt a comeback.

Re-signings:

Dalton’s Charlotte trajectory took a turn last season. Brought in to mentor a to-be-determined first-round QB in 2023, Dalton did so until Week 3 of last season. The Panthers benched Young, and trade rumors swirled after the former No. 1 overall pick’s shocking freefall. It did not appear Canales and Co. had immediate plans to give Young more time, as the undersized passer had looked terrible in Weeks 1 and 2. A Dalton car accident, however, changed the team’s QB course.

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Dalton’s wreck, with his family in the vehicle, resulted in minor injuries. But it was enough for Young to reenter the lineup in Week 8. Dalton did not regain the starting job. The ex-Bengals starter-turned-nomad had boosted the offense upon debuting last season, but Young showed improvement (including an 8-0 TD:INT ratio from Weeks 16-18) upon returning.

It is interesting Dalton went from being benched because of an off-field injury to re-signing. He will give the Panthers a high-end backup, and this deal provides guarantees into 2026, which would be Dalton’s age-39 season. The 168-game starter has managed to land on his feet as a backup.

The Panthers are still searching for a reliable pass-catching tight end post-Greg Olsen. Tremble, a 2021 third-round pick, has still checked in as a usable piece. The four-year Carolina contributor fetched a decent guarantee and will continue to work alongside younger option Ja’Tavion Sanders. The Panthers whiffed on their Hayden Hurst commitment and have parted with Ian Thomas. Sanders led Panthers TEs in receiving last season, with 342 yards, while Tremble posted a career-high 234. The Panthers need more from this position still, and Tremble is recovering from back surgery that might lead to a delayed training camp start.

Using Donte Jackson‘s contract in the regrettable Diontae Johnson trade, the Panthers acquired Michael Jackson months later. Michael, and not Dane, became Donte’s replacement in a Jackson-heavy cornerback storyline. Michael Jackson started 17 games last season, providing good value after being replaced as a Seahawks starter.

Carolina only gave up seventh-round rookie linebacker Michael Barrett, whom Seattle cut weeks later. A former starter opposite Riq Woolen in Seattle, Jackson graded as PFF’s No. 48 overall corner (out of 116 qualified options) last season. Going into his age-28 season, the ex-Cowboys fifth-rounder carries a contract that pairs well with Horn’s.

As Jansen creates more distance between himself and the field for career Panthers starts, Christensen is back despite being dropped to the backup tier. Winning the Panthers’ left guard job in 2022, Christensen ran into a Week 18 injury that set him back. The former third-rounder then suffered a biceps tear to end his 2023 season in Week 1, and the Panthers completed a guard overhaul by signing Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to eight-figure-per-year contracts. With experience at center, guard and tackle, though, Christensen profiles as an interesting swing option.

Notable losses:

Clowney had gone from 2014 to 2024 between multiyear contracts, touring the NFL between his fifth-year option season and the two-year, $20MM deal he signed to return home to the Carolinas. The Panthers, however, capped the former No. 1 overall pick’s stay at one season. They are Clowney’s fourth NFL one-and-done (after the Seahawks, Titans and Ravens), while the Browns represented a two-year stay.

The Panthers shopped Clowney before the draft, telegraphing their plans at outside linebacker. The team ended up drafting second- and third-round OLBs, cutting Clowney soon after. Carolina brass had viewed the 11-year veteran as a potential progress stopper for its rookies. Wonnum remains after missing much of last season due to injury, but Clowney is back in free agency after leading the 2024 Panthers with 5.5 sacks and 11 QB hits.

While the Clowney move provided a bit of a surprise, the Sanders cut certainly didn’t. Sanders joined Johnson and Hurst as recent skill-position misses for the Panthers, who demoted the ex-Eagles Super Bowl starter for Chuba Hubbard. The latter since signed a four-year, $33.2MM extension and is Carolina’s clear-cut RB starter. Sanders benefited from 2023’s RB franchise tag spree, scoring a four-year, $25MM deal that included $13MM fully guaranteed. Sanders outdid Pollard, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs for 2023 guarantees but did contribute much for the Panthers.

Although team and player discussed a pay cut, no agreement commenced. Sanders and Dowdle switched places, with the former second-rounder now a Cowboy on a one-year, $1.34MM deal.

One game away from breaking Don Muhlbach‘s record for most games by a pure long snapper in NFL history (260), Jansen stands as the longest-tenured current Panther and the longest-tenured player in franchise annals. But Thompson exited the 2024 season as the longest-tenured starter. Back-to-back injury-shortened seasons cost the 10-year linebacker 28 games over the past two years, and although he expressed interest in staying after taking a 2024 pay cut, Thompson is now in Buffalo.

As the Carolina-to-Buffalo pipeline — based on ex-Sean McDermott/Brandon Beane Panther cogs — somehow remains active, Thompson leaves as a 112-game starter. The 2015 first-round pick, who supplemented Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis as part of what is probably the best position group in Panthers history, started in Super Bowl 50 and earned more than $67MM in Carolina.

Even if Simmons does not sign, the Panthers are changing up at safety. Woods started three seasons for the team, while Fuller stopped through in 2024 as part of Evero’s Rams-to-Panthers pipeline. Woods joined the Titans, and Fuller landed at another Rams outpost, being set to play under ex-Los Angeles DC Raheem Morris in Atlanta.

Pineiro sits behind only Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker for all-time field goal accuracy, exiting the 2024 season at 88.1%. Pineiro, 29, had angled for a new contract during the 2024 offseason but is now a free agent ahead of this year’s round of training camps. Despite the lofty percentage, Pineiro only has four full seasons as an NFL kicker under his belt. He made 22 of 26 field goals last year. As of now, the Panthers have journeyman fill-in Matthew Wright and rookie UDFA Ryan Fitzgerald as kicker options.

Draft:

While it looked for a bit like Jones would supplement Clowney at OLB, the Panthers had bigger plans to bolster a pass rush that did not do much disrupting last season. Carolina’s 32 sacks ranked 29th last year, and two rookie prospects will play alongside Derrick Brown and Tershawn Wharton. Many viewed the Panthers as neglecting their top need in Round 1, but the team projected the second day of the draft would have better edge-rushing options compared to wide receiver. Thus, a second straight first-round wideout investment.

Counting D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel, the Panthers have used five first- or second-round picks on receivers since 2017. They have been unable to replace Moore since his 2023 trade exit. McMillan represents the team’s top investment at the position — not only on this crusade but in franchise history. Xavier Legette arrived as the No. 32 overall pick, while the since-traded Jonathan Mingo was 39th. The Panthers had never drafted a wideout in the top 20. Plenty of pressure will be on Morgan to make this work.

Teams showed interest in McMillan, who had been connected to the Cowboys during the pre-draft process. The Rams made an offer for No. 8, and Morgan believed it was to nab McMillan. This led to Morgan asking for a monster trade package, in order to slide down to No. 26, and no deal commenced. Carolina had been tied to Georgia prospects Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams; had McMillan been off the board at No. 8, the Panthers would have gone with Walker. But McMillan now joins Legette, Thielen and promising UDFA Jalen Coker as the top Panthers wideouts.

Young also lobbied for McMillan in Round 1, and the Panthers now have another big-bodied receiver. McMillan flashed for contested-catch ability, while some uncertainty remains about his ability to separate at the NFL level. But he generated considerable attention, as the 49ers and Packers showed interest as well.

The ex-volleyball player averaged at least 15 yards per catch in each of his three Arizona seasons and delivered quality production over the past two years. McMillan combined for 2,721 yards and 18 touchdowns from 2023-24. With Legette not impressing often as a rookie, McMillan should be expected to vault into Carolina’s WR1 spot this season.

The McMillan pick assuredly left Evero, who had drawn HC interest in the past and was rumored to be eyeing a way out of Carolina (having not been a Canales hire) in 2024, a bit nervous heading into Day 2. But the Panthers themed the draft’s second night around their pass rush, trading up for both Scourton and Umanmielen. The Panthers vaulted six spots for Scourton and eight for Umanmielen. Will they make up for passing on Walker in Round 1?

Scourton did not impress statistically at Texas A&M, but in Purdue’s scheme before transferring, he posted a 10-sack season. In a season that also featured 15 tackles for loss, Scourton’s 10 sacks led the Big Ten. Only racking up five sacks in his 2024 Aggies season, Scourton remained a consistent backfield presence. He added 14 TFLs last season.

Neither The Athletic’s Dane Brugler nor ESPN’s Matt Miller graded Scourton as a top-10 edge player in this class, but the Panthers were prepared to dive in before their second-round draft slot arrived. Only going into an age-21 season, Scourton attracted attention as a rusher worth molding.

Delivering more sacks (25.5) in college, Umanmielen is also two years older than Scourton. The 23-year-old rusher transferred from Florida to Ole Miss in 2024 and finished his career with a 10.5-sack season and matched Scourton with 14 QB hits. In his final Gators slate, Umanmielen registered seven sacks. Measuring 13 pounds lighter at the Combine (244) than Scourton, Umanmielen could provide a nice complement.

For the time being, the two Day 2 draftees may begin as rotational players behind Jones and Wonnum. But they represent the Panthers’ long-term plan — a missing Carolina component in 2024 — at the position.

Other:

Brooks is at a crossroads after his second ACL tear in two years. Both injuries affected Brooks’ right knee. As Thomas Davis‘ career showed, two ACL tears is not an NFL death sentence. But it is safe to say Brooks’ Panthers path is off after only three games played.

Carolina traded up for Brooks in a weak 2024 RB class, making him the only first- or second-round back chosen last year. The team was cautious with the No. 47 overall pick, holding him out until Week 12 — after more than a year had passed since his tear at Texas. Brooks is signed through 2027, matching Hubbard’s term length, and is on the back burner — as Dowdle fills in — for the foreseeable future.

One season remains on Taylor Moton‘s contract, and as a decision on the right tackle is needed, Carolina used the option to buy another year of evaluation on Ekwonu. The former No. 6 overall pick halted Carolina’s left tackle carousel, one that had stretched back to Jordan Gross‘ 2014 retirement, and has only missed two games as a pro. PFF viewed 2024 as Ekwonu’s best season, ranking him inside the top 40 among tackles and 13th in terms of run blocking.

The Hubbard aide is interested in a Panthers extension. Another good season will put him on the radar for big money, as above-average LTs in their prime are paid — often twice. Morgan has shown it does not take All-Pro form to authorize even a record-setting deal. It would shock if Ekwonu landed on that level like Horn, but he can vault firmly into the $20MM-plus-AAV range with a solid 2025.

Top 10 cap charges for 2025:

  1. Taylor Moton, RT: $31.35MM
  2. Robert Hunt, G: $21.65MM
  3. Derrick Brown, DL: $18.74MM
  4. Damien Lewis, G: $14.57MM
  5. Bryce Young, QB: $10.35MM
  6. Adam Thielen, WR: $10.11MM
  7. A’Shawn Robinson, DL: $9.61MM
  8. Ikem Ekwonu, LT: $8.77MM
  9. D.J. Wonnum, OLB: $7.88MM
  10. Josey Jewell, ILB: $7.71MM

The Commanders showed last year what a worst-to-first vault can look like in this conference, though the Panthers making that kind of a leap would still surprise based on what the team showed on the whole last season and where the Buccaneers are. Young’s form will obviously determine how viable a wild-card path is, but his leap from last in 2023 QBR to 20th in 2024 served notice such expectations should not be completely ruled out. The Panthers should need to see more growth from Young, who made a turnaround from potential 2025 trade chip to a player who received a strong QB1 endorsement from Canales entering the offseason.

Carolina’s defense will need to provide much more support for Young than it did last season, but Morgan’s mission to improve the offensive line produced results. PFF rated the Panthers’ Hunt- and Lewis-aided front eighth last season. The defensive additions making a comparable impact would stand to make the Panthers relevant from a postseason angle. Even if a playoff berth eludes the Panthers for an eighth straight season, Canales placing Young on the right track ahead of a 2026 fifth-year option decision would represent the kind of big-picture progress that has not unfolded for this franchise since the 2010s.