Panthers mailbag: How should GM Dan Morgan handle Xavier Legette, left tackle?
The Panthers are the reigning NFC South champs. And while their trip to the postseason was short-lived, the hope it has inspired within the Carolina faithful will carry into the offseason.
So, naturally, Panthers fans have questions about their favorite squad. That’s why we’ve brought back the Panthers mailbag to answer questions from the fan base.
Here are some standout questions from various platforms:
Panthers mailbag: All-in mode activated?
Adam on Bluesky asks: Just how in should the front office be on “win now”? Would you be more comfortable with the long stride but measured approach they’ve taken, or should they be “all in?”
MK: The read here is that they’ll go with what’s gotten them to this point — and I think that’s the right choice.
GM Dan Morgan and EVP of Football Operations Brandt Tilis are in lockstep, and they do a good job of balancing each other out when it comes to roster management. Morgan identifies talent, while Tilis handles the finances and administrative duties.
With that said, the Panthers have done a nice job with selective splurges in free agency. While they didn’t overdo it for Milton Williams, their layered free agency plan in 2025 led to a surplus of new faces on defense. The previous year, they went big on eventual Pro Bowl right guard Rob Hunt and dependable left guard Damien Lewis.
Has all of their spending worked out? No, but the additions have been nuanced in skill sets and salaries, which has safeguarded the group from long-term damage to spending.
Despite the lack of flashy trades, Morgan doesn’t sit still when someone is available. He looked into trades for Micah Parsons and DK Metcalf, among others, and chose not to bet the farm on a team coming off a 5-12 season. It seemingly worked out.
The same could be said about safety when everyone was shouting from the rooftops for him to sign Julian Blackmon (played just one game with the Saints due to injury in 2025) or Justin Simmons (didn’t get signed at all).
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So, expect Morgan to look into trades and available players at every turn. Could he be more inclined to pull some triggers now that the Panthers are division champs and have actual external expectations now? Sure, but with Tilis and his analytical and financial teams around, expect for those moves to be dissected and discussed thoroughly to reach a decision.
This front office structure was created for checks and balances.
Crystal ball on free agency
crd26 on X asks: You were a Patriots outbid away from nailing a Milton Williams signing as a free agent last year. Who should we be looking more into as a fan base this offseason?
The name I’ve been toying around with since about November is Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Joseph Ossai.
Ossai won’t turn 26 until April. He’s coming off a five-sack season (in just 14 games) on a bad defense, and he has 14.5 sacks overall in four playing seasons, despite being a rotational player in his first three years. He’s also got four combined forced fumbles over the past two seasons.
Ossai doesn’t have a lot of wear on his tires. He hadn’t played more than 51% of the defensive snaps prior to this year. While he missed his entire rookie season with a meniscus injury, he has only missed seven games in the four seasons since. The 6-foot-4, 263-pound defender would make sense as a weak-side outside linebacker complement to second-round pick Nic Scourton, third-round pick Princely Umanmielen and returning veteran Pat Jones.
Jacksonville Jaguars middle linebacker Devin Lloyd would be a massive upgrade over Christian Rozeboom and/or Trevin Wallace. However, Lloyd could be a franchise-tag candidate for Jacksonville, and rightfully so. Nakobe Dean of the Philadelphia Eagles and Quay Walker of the Green Bay Packers could be excellent consolation prizes.
At safety, Los Angeles Rams defensive back Kamren Curl feels like the right guy for the post job. He’s an upgrade over all three of the 2025 starting safeties from a coverage standpoint. He’s also a pretty good run defender as well. Kurl’s overall versatility should appeal to the Panthers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton, New York Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and Buffalo Bills center Connor McGovern would make sense on offense.
Legette out of here?
Mike S. via email asks: Does it make more sense to see what else is possible with Xavier Legette on this cheap contract or gauge trade value?
How many fourth-round picks do the Dallas Cowboys have? Kidding, but the answer is just one.
It’s starting to feel like Legette’s time in Carolina is at a crossroads. While I expect Morgan to be patient with his first-ever draft pick, it’s clear that Legette has been lapped (and then some) by Tetairoa McMillan and former undrafted wide receiver Jalen Coker in all areas.
Legette had just 12 catches for 107 yards in his last seven games (including the playoff loss to the Rams), while Coker caught nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown against Los Angeles alone. McMillan has produced 154 more yards and the same amount of touchdowns (7) in roughly half the time that Legette has played over the past two years.
So, the Panthers need to figure out what they want to do with Legette, who hasn’t played up to his prospect-billed speed or size during his first two years in the league. Everyone loves a redemption arc, but Legette can’t take away playing time from other developing weapons like Brycen Tremayne and Jimmy Horn Jr. Tremayne plays big-guy ball in a way that Legette doesn’t. The same could be said for Horn vs. Legette in the speed dynamic.
The Panthers also shouldn’t just rest on their wideout depth chart. A deep-speed weapon is necessary to evolve this offense. And if the Panthers spend notable money on a veteran free agent or draft another receiver high, there will be little room for Legette to earn his redemption.
If the Panthers were to move on from Legette, I wouldn’t expect that exit to come before draft weekend in April. Either way, a change of scenery might do Legette well this year.
Left tackle urgency
Ahmed on X asks: How much of an impact do you think Ickey Ekwonu’s injury has on the offseason? Should we expect the FO to draft a tackle early?
Phil on X asks: Is left tackle suddenly the top priority this offseason? How do they get one?
I like a good combo entry. As far as priorities go, left tackle’s urgency will be based on Yosh Nijman’s availability. Nijman will be a free agent in March after serving as a swing tackle the past two seasons.
While he’s shown to be a better right tackle than left tackle, Nijman did play well in his spot start on the blind side against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. Panthers coach Dave Canales has routinely praised Nijman for his next-man-up ability, so maybe he’d be fine with Nijman serving as the starting left tackle throughout training camp, and possibly the first month of the season, with Ickey Ekwonu recovering from patellar tendon surgery.
If the Panthers pass on Nijman, or he signs on for a permanent starting role elsewhere, they’ll probably turn to short-term insurance in free agency. While Ekwonu only has one year left on his deal, the Panthers also need to figure out center in 2026 with Cade Mays, Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen heading to free agency as well. The Panthers are already expected to have the third-highest offensive line payroll in the NFL ($86.6 million) entering free agency. And that total is without a starting center and the team’s four most notable backups.
So, the list for left tackles will probably be limited to one year stop-gaps. Jermaine Eluemunor of the New York Giants, Justin Skule of the Minnesota Vikings, and Braxton Jones of the Chicago Bears could make sense in that column.
If those guys price out of the Panthers’ range, Carolina will head to the draft, where Morgan and company haven’t used a selection on the offensive line in their two years together. That said, a cost controlled left tackle could be appealing over spending heavy dollars on an extension for Ekwonu. Another option would be to draft a prospect on Day 3 and hope that offensive tackle develops quickly as a stop gap before becoming the team’s cheap swing tackle for the next couple of years.
Now isn’t the time to panic on the left tackle situation. If it gets to mid-April and the draft is the only remaining option, it’s fair to get a bit nervous.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 6:00 AM.
