Analysis: Panthers’ handling of safety free-agent market paramount to defensive rebuild
Wholesale changes are coming for one of the Panthers’ notable position groups on defense.
The safety spot will not only see an alteration in leadership in 2025, but the depth chart will probably see sweeping changes as well. After a lackluster effort in 2024, the safety position is set for a facelift as Carolina tries to aggressively upgrade its much-maligned defense under third-year coordinator Ejiro Evero.
Back in January, the Panthers parted ways with safeties coach Bert Watts. The team is expected to hire former NFL safety Renaldo Hill — who is also a former defensive coordinator — in an unspecified role, but it’s probably easy to glean that the former standout would work, at least partially, with his former position group.
Adding to the changes at safety are the four pending free agents at the position. Xavier Woods, Jordan Fuller, Nick Scott and Sam Franklin are all set to hit the market in March. Those four veterans made up the bulk of the team’s safety unit in 2024 alongside undrafted rookie standout Demani Richardson.
With Woods, Fuller, Scott and Franklin heading to free agency, Richardson might be the only familiar face left at the position in Dave Canales’ second year as head coach. Given the results of last year, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, as the Panthers were the worst scoring and rushing defense in the entire NFL.
Safety is among the groups — including outside linebacker, defensive end and possibly wide receiver — that make sense not only for free agency, but also a potential double-dip option in the draft. Frankly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Panthers replace their four pending free-agent safeties with two veteran signings and a pair of draft selections.
Why Panthers should attack the safety need in free agency
Safety is one of the more talented position groups on the market. The class has depth and a variety of playing styles, and it is one of the more youthful groups in the available talent pool.
In free agency, talent, age, production and injury history all must be considered, and at safety, there are plenty of worthwhile options that check three, if not all four, of those boxes for the better.
Miami’s Jevon Holland is likely to be the most coveted name on the list. Holland won’t turn 25 until March, and he has produced 25 pass breakups and five interceptions during his first four years with the Dolphins. Holland has terrific range, as he is accomplished against both the pass and the run, and with his prime years still in his sights, he’s presented himself as a Robert Hunt-like player for a team needing a safety.
Holland, like his former Dolphins teammate, Hunt, is a player on the rise, who doesn’t have the pomp and circumstance of multiple Pro Bowls to cushion his value. It’s very likely that he will be around the top of the market at the position, but not in a way that it will be detrimental to his new team’s cap outlook.
If the Panthers decide Holland is too pricey for their taste, or that they’d rather sign two safeties for the price of Holland, they could have several options.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre’von Moehrig, in particular, feels like an excellent fit for Carolina. He’s a terrific run defender with favorable size (6-1, 202 pounds) and solid skills in pass defense. Just 25, Moehrig has his prime years in his sights, and he could be a major upside play for the Panthers for years to come. Moehrig’s versatility, especially as a blitzer, could appeal to Evero.
Moehrig has three sacks, 29 pass breakups and six interceptions in his four-year career.
Signing someone like Moehrig could present the opportunity for a double-dip in free agency. From there, the Panthers could look at players like Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin, Kansas City’s Justin Reid, Jacksonville’s Andre Cisco, and the New York Jets’ Ashtyn Davis to pair with Moehrig.
Hamlin, in particular, has a connection to the Panthers through newly hired vice president of player health & performance Denny Kellington, from their shared time with the Bills. Hamlin also hosted an American Heart Association event with David and Nicole Tepper in 2023. He’s also coming off his first year as a full-time starting safety, producing two interceptions and five pass breakups in 14 games.
Unlike most positions, there are roughly a dozen or so starting-caliber options under the age of 30 set to hit the market. That big of a pool gives the Panthers plenty of options to patch up and improve the safety position, even at a notable price.
A double dip for Carolina? The draft has solid long-term options as well
Much like free agency, there are plenty of upside options at safety in the draft.
While the Panthers don’t strike this beat writer as a team that would spend a top-10 pick on the position (sorry, fans of Georgia’s Malaki Starks), the front office clearly knows the position needs a major retooling.
There will be plenty of Day 2 options in an offseason double-dip scenario, potentially including Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts, Iowa’s Sebastian Castro, Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. and Ohio State’s Lathan Ransom. Pro Football Focus has all four prospects placed between No. 44 and No. 77 on the site’s big board.
The Panthers, if they decide to sign two safety free agents, can also raise the floor of the unit by waiting until Day 3 to land another youthful upgrade at the position.
Clemson’s R.J. Mickens was among the bright spots in January’s Shrine Bowl. Syracuse’s Alijah Clark, Virginia’s Jonas Sanker and Southern Cal’s Akili Arnold could also be options in the fourth or fifth rounds.
The Panthers have two fourth-round picks and three fifth-round picks heading into the NFL Scouting Combine this month.
Kaye’s take: Panthers have a really good offseason outlook with safety
The safety position was a major disappointment last season. However, with four pending free agents at the position, the Panthers are set up for a clean-slate offseason at a critical spot on their depth chart.
Holland and Moehrig feel like excellent options in free agency. And there is also a list of second- and third-tier players worth adding to the group as well.
The draft should also provide some secondary relief if the Panthers chose to go big in free agency with one player before double-dipping into April’s prospect pool.
Of all of the positions on defense, safety feels like the easiest to replenish with upgrades for the Panthers.
