Panthers mailbag: How will Carolina GM Dan Morgan reshape the roster in 2025?
The Carolina Panthers are showing signs of improvement during the second half of the season. But at 3-9, the fan base appears to be more concerned about the team’s long-term roster-building plans than the final five-game stretch.
So, The Observer has brought back the weekly Panthers mailbag to answer some of the questions of the Carolina faithful.
Let’s check out some of the mailbag questions we received from social media:
Getting ahead of the offseason
Phil asks: What’s your sense for roster building? Front office looking at free agency for D-line and draft for WR? Or vice versa?
The Panthers, understandably, leaned heavily on offensive upgrades this past offseason in free agency. The draft also skewed offense.
But heading into this upcoming offseason, regardless of who the defensive coordinator is, it’d be fair to expect the defense to get its turn for upgrades in March and beyond.
Last offseason, the Panthers signed several Ejiro Evero connections (Josey Jewell, A’Shawn Robinson, Jordan Fuller and Nick Scott) and brought in Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum to make up for the losses of Brian Brians and Frankie Luvu. On paper, those moves were fine, but the defense’s depth, especially up front, was paper thin.
Shy Tuttle simply hasn’t worked out well at nose tackle. Derrick Brown, while laying claim as the team’s best defensive player, has been a Week 1 loss of catastrophic proportions. Shaq Thompson has been shut down due to injury in the first quarter of the season in back-to-back years. And the top four safeties on the roster are impending free agents.
So, there’s plenty of work to be had on defense. While cornerback could use some TLC, Jaycee Horn, Chau Smith-Wade and a bunch of developing corners behind them give some sort of base. The Panthers need to figure out if they’re keeping Dane Jackson after his Week 12 benching, and they’ll also need to decide if they want to re-sign Mike Jackson or upgrade his position on Day 2 of the draft.
Safety feels like an area that could look totally different next year. While it looked like a strength heading into the season, Scott, Fuller and Xavier Woods have all had their ups and downs. Woods leads the team with three interceptions, but it remains to be seen if he will be re-signed. Either way, the Panthers are likely to have at least one new starter at the position, even as undrafted rookie Demani Richardson waits for his turn.
The Panthers need pass rush help. Wonnum and Clowney are both under contract next year, but beyond them, the pass rush group is nearly non-existent. D.J. Johnson — last year’s third-round pick — seems to have a better shot of playing elsewhere in 2025 than registering two sacks in the final five games. At defensive end, Robinson is the only player with a pass-rushing pulse.
No matter the front used next year, expect the Panthers to prioritize the edge and interior defensive line positions with urgency in free agency and/or the draft. This week’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles will give the Panthers a look at two logical free-agent targets, defensive lineman Milton Williams and edge rusher Josh Sweat.
The wideout spot plenty of avenues for improvement. But with speed likely being a priority, and several other needs to figure out, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Panthers waited to the draft to upgrade.
Tee Higgins back to the Carolinas?
CD asks: Do you think there is a chance that the Panthers could have a shot at signing Tee Higgins in free agency?
While Higgins, a Clemson alum, has been linked by fans to the Panthers for the past two years, I would curb the enthusiasm on a match as of now.
He’s certainly a worthwhile target, but he will want No. 1 wideout money, and it’s hard to qualify him as a true top-flight receiver after the past two seasons. He is really a very good No. 2 wideout.
That said, there are some factors playing well into the possibility of Higgins being an option for the Panthers.
Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker are on rookie contracts, David Moore probably won’t cost much to re-sign (if warranted), and Adam Thielen is due just $4 million in base salary next year if he’s retained on the final year of his deal (wouldn’t rule that out at all). So, paying Higgins pretty substantial money as the offense’s lone big external move could make sense. Then again, this team probably needs an upgrade at No. 2 tight end, a veteran backup QB to push Bryce Young, and a long-term solution at center, whether that’s re-signing Brady Christensen or Austin Corbett or rolling with Cade Mays as a restricted free agent.
For what it’s worth, this beat writer expects the Panthers prioritize speed, as previously mentioned, at the wideout spot this offseason, whether in the draft or in free agency.
Legette and Coker are big bodies and Moore and Thielen are technicians. Carolina is missing a true vertical threat after trading away Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo. And with the way Young has opened up his downfield passing prowess, the need for speed is definitely warranted.
While Higgins isn’t known for his speed — he ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in 2020 — he could see his market dwindle after a downish year with injury absences (43 catches for 558 yards and five touchdowns through seven games), and the Panthers could try to take advantage.
Mike Williams, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, could be worth revisiting in free agency as well, when speaking of former Clemson wideouts. Williams just turned 30 and is more of a role player at this point, but his size (6-foot-4, 218 lbs.) and first-round pedigree could make him appealing to the Panthers as a one-shot opportunity. The Panthers were interested in signing him this past offseason.
The trouble with the defense
Cheryl asks: What is the answer for the defense? Is it (defensive coordinator) Ejiro Evero? Is is talent and/or players not communicating/executing or a combination of both? It’s definitely a head-scratcher.
Everyone deserves a piece of the blame pie. As mentioned earlier, losing Brown was a monumental blow to the defensive front, but still, the unit is full of professionals, and they should be able to tackle and wrap up with technique. For the most part, the pass defense has been middling, while the run defense has been a complete joke.
Through 12 games, the Panthers have allowed more rushing yards than any team in the league to an average of 166.8 yards per matchup. It’s hard to quantify what exactly the problem is. Yes, scheme could probably be adapted more to weaknesses, but there is also a technique issue, clearly, which is something that falls on coaching as well.
For what it’s worth, the defense largely held the Buccaneers in check through three quarters. It was when Tampa Bay decided to lean on their quick passing game and the rushing attack that things predictably fell apart. It’s hard to see a quick fix in place, but the run defense has been terrible since Evero arrived.
There is a theory that upgraded talent and depth could help things, but those potential solutions won’t be coming until the offseason. For now, Evero, the players and the rest of the defensive coaching staff will need to wear this.
Evero has shown he is a more than capable defensive coordinator. It would be interesting to see his scheme with legitimate starting talent at all or most of the defensive positions. He’s been a head-coaching candidate during the past three years for a reason.
But, up next: The league’s leading rusher, Saquon Barkley, and the Eagles.
