Left tackle? Check. But here are 8 names to watch as Panthers continue shopping.

The Carolina Panthers filled a big hole in their offense Thursday on the first day of free agency, only to see another one emerge a few hours later.

Such is the reality of the NFL, where 517 players hit an open market that featured a lot of teams flush with cash.

Carolina landed Ryan Kalil’s little brother for five years and $55.5 million, including $25 million guaranteed. Matt Kalil fills a void at left tackle and pushes Michael Oher to the right side, assuming he returns from his brain injury.

But the Panthers later learned they’d lost Ted Ginn Jr. to the Saints, creating a need for speed at wide receiver. With a deep receiving group in this year’s draft, general manager Dave Gettleman won’t necessarily look to replace Ginn in free agency.

The Panthers are talking with Bucs free agent WR Russell Shepard, the Observer reported late Thursday. Shepard, who also is a special teams regular, would be more of a replacement for Philly Brown.

The Kalil deal likely will leave the Panthers with about $18 million in cap space, and they’ll need to hold on to much of that to sign their draft picks. Signing defensive tackle Kawann Short, who will make $14.5 million on his franchise tag, to a long-term deal would open more space.

A look at what Gettleman might do during the calm after the first-day storm:

Safety

The Panthers were in the running for Barry Church before the Cowboys safety agreed to a reported four-year, $26 million deal with Jacksonville.

Lots of safeties flew off the board Thursday as well, including former South Carolina standout D.J. Swearinger, Tony Jefferson and Jonathan Cyprien.

Who’s left?

The list includes T.J. McDonald, the Rams’ big-hitting safety, Tampa Bay’s Bradley McDougald and the Saints’ Jairus Byrd.

Offensive line

While Kalil was a big get, the Panthers could stand to sign another tackle, given Oher’s uncertainty and the fact that right tackle Mike Remmers hit free agency.

Several other top-tier tackles, such as Riley Reiff and Russell Okung, were snatched up Thursday. But established tackles Kelvin Beachum and Ryan Clady remain unsigned. Guard/tackle D.J. Fluker was a disappointment in San Diego, but his position flexibility might make him a consideration.

Familiar faces

The opening hours of free agency passed without two former Panthers – defensive end Julius Peppers and nickelback Captain Munnerlyn – finding teams.

Like Kalil, Peppers and Munnerlyn have long been mentioned as logical targets for the Panthers. Both have indicated they’d like to return to Carolina, so it’s a matter of whether they fit in the Panthers’ budget.

You have to think at least one of these two winds up back in Charlotte.

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Left tackle? Check. But here are 8 names to watch as Panthers continue shopping.."