Takeaways from each signing during the first week of Free Agency

The Carolina Panthers brought in seven new players so far. Here’s how each projects to help out the squad.

With a lot of work to do this offseason, the Carolina Panthers entered free agency with a plan and a truckload of money to spend. They did not disappoint, as they have brought in one of the larger free agency crops in the NFL and spent a pretty penny in the process.

In the first week of free agency, the Panthers have brought in seven new players who all project to have notable roles on the team. Let’s take a quick look at each new acquisition through some interesting stats and takeaways.

S Tre’von Moehrig | Run defense upgrade over Xavier Woods

There are a number of reasons for the Panthers having one of the worst run defenses in NFL history, and the the inability for the safeties to bring down a running back once they made it to the second level of the defense was certainly one of them. On the Las Vegas Raider’s defense, Moehrig was consistently one of their top performing run defenders. Moehrig finished the season with 87.5 run defense grade according to PFF. In contrast, the Panthers Xavier Woods has 59.7 grade. Against running plays in 2024, Woods’ 16.2% miss tackle percentage was almost double Moehrig’s 8.5%. Moehrig’s 22 run stops was more than double Wood’s 10. In fact, Moehrig had the same number of run stops as A’Shawn Robinson in 2024.

Take a look at this compilation of explosive runs against the Panthers defense and pay careful attention to Woods (#25).

EDGE Patrick Jones II | Consistent and effective run defender

During his last year with the Minnesota Vikings, Jones was a rotational edge defender who was productive in multiple areas, but was especially effective against the run. Jones played 112 snaps against the run and racked up 15 run stops for a stop percentage of 13.8. Among edge defenders with at least 30 snaps against the run, that 13.8% was the 3rd best mark.

Dl Bobby Brown III | Sturdy, athletic nose tackle

If you have not noticed yet, the major theme of the Panthers 2025 free agent class so far is run defense. Brown may not have gaudy statistics, but he might be the most important acquisition for the Panthers run defense. Brown is a nose tackle, which means that those duties can now belong to him instead of Shy Tuttle, who has been miscast in that role the last couple years. In 261 snaps against the run in 2024, Brown was not credited with a single missed tackle. Brown insists that he also has some pass rushing upside and with his athletic profile I’m curious to see how he’ll develop there.

DI Tershawn Wharton | Effective interior rusher

Thankfully the Panthers took some notice of the Panthers lack of pass rush in 2024 and made a move to address it. PFF credits Wharton with 9 sacks and a win rate of 10.9%. Among defensive tackles with at least 100 pass rush snaps, those numbers rank 9th and 23rd respectively. For some perspective, the Panthers defensive tackle with the highest win rate in 2024 was A’Shawn Robinson at 5.9%, the 98th best mark among defensive tackles.

P Sam Martin | Upgrade from bad to average

Johnny Hekker’s 2024 season is one of the more under the radar poor performances for an already struggling team. Of the 34 punters who had at least 20 attempted punts in 2024, Hekker was 32nd in PFF punting grade, 29th in yards per attempt and dead last in average hangtime. Martin ranked 20th, 18th and 24th in each of these categories – and he played half his games much farther north than Charlotte, North Carolina.

LB Christian Rozeboom | Tackle production

In a free agency period where linebacker options were slim, the Panthers have brought in Rozeboom who PFF credited with 91 tackles in 2024, 16th in the NFL among linebackers. Rozeboom did struggle in the beginning of the season, but from Week 10 to the final week of the regular season he had a cumulative 70.0 PFF grade on 432 defensive snaps.

RB Rico Dowdle | Perfect back-up to Chuba Hubbard

For the Panthers only offensive addition of the offseason so far, they actually added a running back. Dowdle produced over 1,000 yards last season on 4.6 yards per attempt. This gives the Panthers the ability to spell Hubbard and not lose much production in the process, or if the Panthers lose Hubbard like they did for the last few games of last season, Bryce Young will still have a more than capable back-up option to lean on.