3 Carolina Panthers signings I liked and 2 that I didn’t in first wave of NFL free agency
If you’ve been watching the Carolina Panthers’ free-agency acquisitions and waiting for a big splash, you’ve been disappointed.
There was no deal made for proven wide receivers DK Metcalf or Tee Higgins. There was no eye-opening trade. And despite initial reports to the contrary, there was no massive contract given to former Philadelphia defensive tackle Milton Williams, thought to be the No. 1 overall free-agency target by many. Instead, Carolina got outbid for Williams and he ended up in New England.
So what has there been in terms of new players added to a Carolina team that went 5-12 last season and has missed the playoffs for seven years in a row?
We’ve seen a lot of under-the-radar moves that haven’t grabbed headlines, but they are exactly the sort of transactions that ultimately win games.
For instance, here are three signings the Panthers made this month that I particularly like, with salary numbers provided by Observer reporting.
RB Rico Dowdle (one year, $2.7 million base salary, with an opportunity for several million more in incentives). Coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season in Dallas, Dowdle has Carolina ties, he’s cheaper than Miles Sanders (now a former Panther) and I’d argue he’s a better running back at this point in his career, too. If Chuba Hubbard gets hurt, I can see Dowdle stepping in ably as a No. 1 back. If he doesn’t, this is going to be a fine 1-2 punch. A real bargain.
DT Bobby Brown III (three years, $21 million). “Big men allow you to compete,” former general manager Dave Gettleman used to say, and he built the 2015 Super Bowl team around that premise. Brown (6-foot-4, 332 pounds) is a run-stopping boulder inside. He’s not going to generate many sacks and he may come out on obvious passing downs, but he’s only 24 and this new edition will improve what was the league’s worst run defense immediately.
S Tre’von Moehrig (three years, $51 million). This one better work out, based on the amount of money involved. But the Panthers have had a lack of playmaking from the safety position for most of the past seven years and it’s such an important position that taking the shot seems like the right call. Moehrig has swagger, he’s only 25 and he’s not going to let a lot of running backs turn a 10-yard gain into a 60-yarder due to a missed tackle.
Now, as for the signings I don’t like?
I thought the Panthers overpaid for defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (three years, $45 million). An ESPN writer derided this signing as a “panic award” moment for Carolina, given that it came shortly after the Panthers missed out on Williams. I’m not sure panic is the right word, but I agree that it feels like too much money for a rotational player. Maybe I’m wrong, but Wharton will need to prove he’s worth it.
I also am not clear why the Panthers signed a 35-year-old punter (Sam Martin) when they already had one of those (Johnny Hekker). Wouldn’t it be better to find a younger punter who might be here long-term if you were going to move on from Hekker?
As for their own players that they wanted to keep badly enough to reward with new contracts, the most significant move came when the Panthers gave cornerback Jaycee Horn a bundle. Horn’s four-year, $100-million deal ranked as the top “average-salary-per-year” deal ever for a defensive back for about a week, until Derek Stingley Jr. reset that market once again Monday with a three-year, $90-million deal with Houston.
Horn can play, of course, and he can lead, too. He was a Pro Bowler in 2024, which isn’t easy to do on a bad team that has a historically bad defense (the Panthers set an NFL record for most points allowed in a season last year, with 534).
What Horn hasn’t been able to do is regularly stay healthy. He has missed 45% of the Panthers’ games over his first four seasons due to injury. The contract represents a calculated risk, but one I believe the Panthers needed to take. They have let too many first-round picks in their prime walk out the door (DJ Moore, Brian Burns and Christian McCaffrey all were traded away). The Jaycee Horns, Derrick Browns, Chuba Hubbards and Bryce Youngs of the world — that’s who this team needs to be built around.
Every good team also needs a bunch of solid parts, like cornerback Mike Jackson, center Austin Corbett and offensive lineman Brady Christensen (all of whom the Panthers re-upped with this month).
So the Panthers haven’t made a lot of noise this offseason, but that’s mostly OK. The roster has definitely improved from what it was at the end of last year. Now they need to do a couple more things.
First, wide receiver still has to be addressed. There’s still not enough playmakers there for Young to throw to, especially not enough of them with speed. Second, the Panthers have to nail the No. 8 overall pick in April’s NFL draft. There they must hit on either the right wide receiver or the correct edge pass rusher.
But success is at least possible in 2025 after the start of this offseason. Find a Rookie of the Year candidate at No. 8, add that player and a couple of other decent draftees to a growing young core — and the Panthers just might have something.
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
