What the Carolina Panthers should and shouldn’t do as NFL free agency begins
It’s going to be a busy week in the NFL.
Despite uncertainty that the league year may be postponed to growing concerns surrounding the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, things are proceeding as normal. Starting Monday at noon, teams are able to start talking to pending free agents from other teams about potential contracts until free agency officially opens Wednesday at 4 p.m.
The Panthers will be letting a significant number of players who were on the roster in 2019 walk in free agency this week. Most will sign with other teams; the Panthers are unlikely to get into a bidding war for top players.
But what makes sense for the Panthers knowing what’s ahead for Carolina and what it needs? What are the do’s and don’ts the Panthers should follow in free agency if they were to ask The Observer’s advice? (Trust us, they’re not.)
Do: Try to re-sign Tre Boston and Ross Cockrell. Neither should be overly expensive and both proved last year that they can be reliable in the defensive backfield.
The Panthers will be forced to bring in a lot of new defensive players. They would benefit from having some veterans remain in the secondary, especially with James Bradberry most likely on his way out and Donte Jackson still growing as a player on and off the field.
Don’t: Overpay a wide receiver. Signing a player like Robby Anderson, who played for Matt Rhule at Temple, might be tempting, but at the end of the day it doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Panthers need depth at wide receiver and it would be smart to build behind DJ Moore, but Carolina has too many needs to spend significant money there. This draft class is full of wide receiver talent, more than has been seen in a long time. Draft someone who can be there for the long-term, not just a couple seasons. Take advantage and spend money elsewhere.
Don’t: Sign a veteran tight end. There are interesting names out there on the market — Jimmy Graham, Jordan Reed, Tyler Eifert and more. But the Panthers allowed Greg Olsen, who was one of the team’s top players on and off the field, to walk. If they were to sign a tight end in free agency, it would have to be for a reasonable price or be an extended deal. Otherwise, why not just keep Olsen for the last year of his contract? It makes the most sense for the Panthers to stick with Ian Thomas at the position or address it in the draft.
Do: Sign defensive linemen in free agency. It’s not like the Panthers’ defensive line was great last year with Kawann Short injured, but they are still going to be losing a lot of the players that were there over the next week. Addressing the defensive line should be a priority in free agency and the draft.
Addressing both lines should be at the top of the to-do list. The Panthers also have to figure out what’s next at guard with Trai Turner now almost officially traded to the Chargers and Greg Van Roten set to hit free agency; building depth on the offensive line should be a priority, as well.
Don’t: Be surprised if nothing truly crazy happens with the Panthers. This team may not make a splash move in free agency. Per Spotrac, the Panthers will have just less than $30 million in cap space after declining Dontari Poe’s option for 2020. That ranks in the bottom half of the league. They aren’t going to have a ton of space to work with and aren’t going to get into a bidding war for top free agents. There may be an unexpected signing or two, but the Panthers can’t go crazy like other teams. Draft picks are more of a priority than the flashiest free agents.
Don’t: Read too much into some of the Panthers decisions. As we said with the Russell Okung-Turner trade, some of the moves might not make sense right away. It might take some time to see the bigger picture. Like David Tepper would say, “patience” will certainly be required.
Do: Enjoy the spectacle of free agency. There is a lot going on right now and whether the decision to proceed with one of the busiest weeks in the NFL is questionable, it will be a nice diversion for many, so stay tuned.
Panthers release safety Colin Jones
The Panthers made their first move of the week by releasing longtime safety Colin Jones. Jones, 32, has been a key special teams player for some time, including serving as the Panthers’ special teams captain the last two years. He was originally traded to Carolina from San Francisco before the 2012 season and has served as a reserve safety, in addition to his special teams duties. Jones has led the Panthers in special teams snaps each of the last two seasons.
The safety requested to be released from the Panthers as he did not want to be part of the team’s rebuild, per a source with direct knowledge of the situation. There have been various opinions about whether Carolina is in fact in a state of a rebuilding, but numerous players have indicated they feel that is the case. The Panthers save $1.1 million by releasing him, per Spotrac.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 10:24 AM.
