Analysis: Why Panthers should go back to NFL draft well with two positions on offense
The NFL calendar has officially turned the page on the 2024 season following Super Bowl LIX, and the Carolina Panthers have a lot of work to do to become playoff contenders in a conference led by the new champs, the Philadelphia Eagles. Carolina built a promising base in the first year of the Dave Canales-Dan Morgan era, but the roster still has plenty of holes left to fill from the previous regime.
The Panthers’ needs at wide receiver, outside linebacker and safety are well-documented, but a pair of notable positions on offense are worthy of some legitimate spring cleaning, as well. Carolina enters the offseason with some glaring holes, but the team’s depth charts at running back and tight end remain fluid.
With well-paid starting running back Chuba Hubbard and second-year tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders serving as the only tangible pieces at their respective positions, the Panthers will have a lot to figure out in aiding those spots in 2025. And with some major decisions left to process, the Panthers need to make it a point to prioritize cash flow and opportunity cost.
Yes, running back and tight end appear to be middling needs. And sure, the team has some solid names at the top of each group. But as the past two years have proven, depth — particularly talented backups — is extremely important. Still, given the Panthers’ current cap situation, other notable needs, and the upcoming free-agent market, it would behoove the franchise to focus on the cost-controlled route, via the NFL draft, with the tight end and running back positions this offseason.
Why Panthers should focus on draft for tight ends
The Panthers spent a fourth-round pick on Ja’Tavion Sanders last offseason, and that selection paid off almost immediately. The rookie standout set a franchise record with 342 receiving yards off 33 catches in his first season, despite hitting a rookie wall after suffering a neck injury in the second half of the season.
Sanders is more of a receiver than a blocker, but he showed solid development in the latter skill as his first year carried on. Sanders, at the moment, feels primed for a featured role on offense, and on a cost-controlled rookie contract, using him as a cheap starter is advantageous to the rest of the roster.
With Sanders’ current status, the Panthers don’t necessarily need to splurge on the position in free agency. Yes, QB Bryce Young could use all the help he can get, but the free-agent class is full of aging starters (mostly on the decline) and role players who are likely to be overpaid and forced into bigger roles out of necessity by desperate teams.
Zach Ertz, Tyler Conklin, Mike Gesicki and Juwan Johnson highlight the group of pending tight end free agents, and only Johnson will be on the “right” side of 30 by the end of the 2025 season. Ertz and Gesicki are likely to want to play for contenders, while Conklin and Johnson will look to cash in on a fairly unsophisticated market.
If the Panthers really want to have a veteran provide insurance for Sanders, they should look no further than their internal list, where 24-year-old tight end Tommy Tremble is coming off a career season, despite a laundry list of injuries that slowed him down. Signing Tremble to a 1-year deal makes sense for both parties, and could give the offense the familiarity and upside most teams seek at the position. The alternative is probably signing a career backup like John Bates or Luke Farrell to a relatively lame deal within the same ballpark as Tremble.
Going with what you know, especially when it comes to a player at tight end who can catch and block and is still in his mid-20s, makes a lot more sense than just reaching for the sake of something new.
From there, the Panthers should probably repeat their strategy from last season. By most accounts at the Shrine Game in January, the tight end position is fairly strong in this year’s draft class, particularly in the middle rounds. While the Panthers probably could pounce on the position before the fourth round this year, they’ll have options if they do decide to stay patient.
Sanders’ former Texas teammate, Gunnar Helm, could make sense in the third round, as could Miami playmaker Elijah Arroyo and LSU standout Mason Taylor. Notre Dame’s Mitchell Evans and Iowa’s Luke Lachey could also be options, perhaps on Day 3.
The Panthers are projected to have around $20.9 million in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap. They can nearly double that total by making a litany of roster moves, but they’d still likely be among the middle of the pack in space when the dust settled.
With much bigger needs to fill immediately in free agency, the Panthers can play it cool on tight end, especially if they want to continue to build a young, cost-controlled unit. Saving cash at one position can help pay for another (or a couple of different ones).
Why Panthers should focus on draft for RB depth
While the Panthers’ running back situation is fairly different than the tight end outlook, both positions feel like cost-control enterprises this offseason. The Panthers handed out a four-year, $33.2 million contract extension to workhorse back Chuba Hubbard in November, and he is likely to take on the bulk of carries in 2025.
Veteran running back Miles Sanders, who is a due $6.7 million ($5.5 million in base salary, $1.2 million in bonuses) in 2025, is in an interesting spot entering his third offseason with the team. He’s produced just 637 rushing yards, 302 receiving yards, and four touchdowns during his first two seasons with the team. And despite a breakout season-finale performance against Atlanta, it feels like Sanders is a prime candidate for a major pay cut. Sanders might not be inclined to take that pay cut, and that could change plans for the Panthers, although not by much with 2024 second-round pick, Jonathon Brooks, coming off a second ACL surgery in as many years.
Brooks’ recovery creates inconvenience as well as opportunity. Given the timing and severity of the injury, Brooks could be forced to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season, and that gives the Panthers flexibility, in a sense, to reinforce the position. Whether Sanders is on the roster or not, the Panthers should try to be smart with the spending at the position.
If the Panthers want to replace Sanders with a role-playing, third-down-focused veteran running back, then Buffalo Bills playmaker Ty Johnson makes sense. Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Chase Edmonds has a history with Canales, but is coming off a season-ending injury, which could complicate his appeal. Otherwise, the rest of the group is full of low-end starting talent and journeyman fodder.
The Panthers should steer clear of injury cases at the position after dealing with Brooks’ situation last year. Also, with Hubbard probably needing to lighten his load a bit this year, it would makes sense to get some fresh legs, especially in the form of a draft pick. Spending on the position in free agency would on take away funds from fixing other positions.
ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid recently shared on social media that he has 33 draftable grades for running backs heading into this month’s NFL Scouting Combine. That means there’s plenty to choose from at the position in April.
While spending a premium pick (again) on the position seems unlikely, Kansas State’s DJ Giddens, Arizona’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks, Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II and SMU’s Brashard Smith could all be available early on Day 3. Adding one of those prospects to the mix could give the Panthers long-term, cost-controlled depth at a position the front office and coaching staff clearly value.
Final thoughts: Kaye’s take
The Panthers’ cap situation isn’t as rosy as it appears. While the team does have more than $20 million to spend — and likely more after some maneuvering — the squad has a ton of holes to plug, especially on defense.
After spending heavily on the offensive line last year, some positions on offense are likely to take a backseat in free agency, and that’s largely fine. Paying a top-flight wide receiver or filling any of the major holes on defense is a worthwhile endeavor. Paying middling free agents at positions that already have respectable starters and flexibility for draft maneuvering is a fool’s errand in some respects. The Panthers should be stacking talent via the draft as opposed to free agency.
Tight end and running back are important positions to the Panthers. But as with all successful teams, some important positions need to focus more on development than instant gratification.
This offseason, those two positions, in particular, should draw the short straw in free agency to the benefit of the team’s spending sprees elsewhere on the roster.
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
