Several key Panthers players are unsure about their futures but hope to return
As members of the Carolina Panthers departed the team locker room at Bank of America Stadium on Monday following exit interviews, several key players spoke about their unknown futures.
“(My family) loves this place. We want to be here. We love the organization. We love the city. We have family here. We have everything. We’re about to have a (newborn) here (soon),” center Bradley Bozeman said. “But we know it’s a business. We understand. (We’ll) see what happens in the next couple of months.”
Bozeman highlights a group of 22 pending free agents general manager Scott Fitterer and the team will either re-sign or let walk in the coming months. Bozeman and defensive backs Myles Hartsfield and Sam Franklin represent a core group of middle-tier players who were relied upon this season but lack clarity about their future with the Panthers.
Since joining the starting lineup in Week 7, Bozeman did not miss a snap for the Panthers’ offense. He was an integral part of Carolina’s downhill running game, which became the team’s identity under interim head coach Steve Wilks. Pro Football Focus rated Bozeman 22nd among qualified centers. His highest graded games were against the Buccaneers (Week 7), Falcons (Week 10), Seahawks, and Lions. Carolina won all four of those games by dominating the trenches.
Like Bozeman, Hartsfield and Franklin started the season as backups but developed into consistent contributors. Franklin, who won the team’s inaugural special teams points competition, hopes to return next year.
“(The team) is still looking for a head coach. I think we are going to find that out first then move on from there,” Franklin said. “I’m not in a rush. I want to be here. But, at the end of the day, I understand it’s a business.”
Franklin and Hartsfield both signed with Carolina as 2020 undrafted free agents. Hartsfield said enduring a coaching change and multiple teammates exiting via trade this season provided an introduction to the transactional nature of the NFL.
“A lot of us have not gone through this business side of the game,” Hartsfield said. “It was definitely a testament to our older teammates for keeping us all together. They kept us (focused) on the task at hand and not really looking to the outside noise because the people who really believed in it were the people that were in here.”
Panthers coaches value Hartsfield’s versatility. He lined up as a free safety, slot corner, and box defender depending on certain matchups and player availability.
His position flexibility should prove valuable for his NFL future.
“I think it will help a lot to show people ... that I bring a lot to a team no matter what position it is,” Hartsfield said. “I treat everything like a pro, from treatment to film watching to pregame to games and all that stuff. (I try to) just be a pro in everything I do.”
Working closely with Wilks as a position coach (before his promotion to interim head coach) also helped the young defensive back’s development.
“He taught me so much. Not just on the field but off it,” Hartsfield said. “He has been a great guy to go to about anything. Football-wise, it was a lot of key details I learned this year about formation and route recognition to be a step faster ... because once you get there the game slows down.”
The regard between Wilks and Panthers players is mutual. During his final press conference as interim coach, Wilks was asked what he thought Carolina’s players produced during his 13-week tenure.
“They gave me their all,” Wilks said. “How they work. How they go about their business. They have a great level of commitment. ... (They) trust the process, and they believed in that. And I appreciate them for that.”
Following the Panthers’ 10-7 victory at New Orleans, the team presented Wilks with a game ball. Team captain Brian Burns said it was important for the players to honor Wilks after the finale.
“We don’t know how everything’s gonna shake out,” Burns said. “But (we wanted) to show our appreciation for him. It’s been a tough season, going through everything we went through. But he showed up and was the same guy every day. He believed in us so that was just us appreciating him.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 5:10 PM.
