Panthers mailbag: How will Carolina replace Turk Wharton’s production?
The Carolina Panthers are less than a week away from the start of their annual organized team activities (OTAs). So, naturally, their fans are curious about the team’s outlook heading into the heart of the offseason program.
That’s why The Charlotte Observer has brought back the Panthers mailbag to answer the Carolina faithful’s biggest questions of the week.
Here are some standout questions from social media:
How to replace Turk Wharton
Austin G. asks: With the injury to Turk (Wharton) are the Panthers looking at free agents to address the need or is Aaron Hall a lock for the 53-man roster now?
Austin, in case you missed it, is referencing starting defensive end Turk Wharton’s recent neck surgery.
Wharton is expected to start training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but he can be taken off the list at any point before Week 1. That said, his return timeline, according to a league source, isn’t finalized. However, that same source told The Charlotte Observer that Wharton is expected to play this season, despite the lack of a true recovery window.
With Wharton out, look for the Panthers to feature Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown at the defensive end spots with second-round pick Lee Hunter rotating with the latter at the nose tackle spot as well. Cam Jackson, a fifth-round pick last year, will be asked to step up as the fourth guy in the rotation. All four players can play all three spots in odd fronts.
LaBryan Ray, entering his fourth year with the team, will also rotate with that top quartet. Undrafted rookies Aaron Hall and Parker Peterson will compete with Ray and 2025 holdover Jared Harrison-Hunte for snaps and a spot on the 53-man roster.
The team added former Ole Miss and Ohio State lineman Tywone Malone on Monday. He is simply there to take up reps and potentially compete for a practice-squad job this summer.
Getting back to Hall, he already had a pretty good shot at making the 53-man roster even before Wharton went down. Hall can play all three spots on the line, but he fits particularly well in Wharton’s rotational pass rusher role as a defensive end in odd fronts. He can also rush as the 3-technique when the Panthers deploy even numbers on the line. He’s a name to watch this summer, especially if the Panthers don’t add a veteran to the line. Hall is going to push Ray and Harrison-Hunte considerably this summer.
Regarding a potential free agency addition, the market is ugly and aging. The Panthers currently have four non-specialists over the age of 30, and one of those guys is likely camp arm Will Grier. There’s a youth movement in town and the bulk of the defensive linemen on the market are between 30 and 34 years old.
The best name on the market is DaQuan Jones. The former Panthers lineman is 34. Eddie Goldman (32), Mike Pennel (35) and Greg Gaines (30) are the other older guys on the market with name value.
The Panthers are probably better off waiting until the start of the preseason before taking a look at the player-for-player trade market.
Carolina has an overstocked wideout depth chart, and GM Dan Morgan has shown a tendency to trade his expendable receivers for value during his three years in charge. Perhaps someone like Xavier Legette or John Metchie or even Jimmy Horn Jr. could swing a quality defensive lineman from elsewhere.
A couple of trade names that could make sense to replace Wharton in his role, even if just for a little while: Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Thomas Booker and Arizona Cardinals defensive end Dante Stills. Both players are on squads that invested draft picks in their positions with new head coaches in charge.
It’s also important to remember that Wharton wasn’t particularly impactful during his first season in Carolina. He appeared in nine games and had just two sacks, despite playing the bulk of the defensive snaps in his healthy outings. The Panthers were hoping for a bounce-back campaign with Wharton due $14 million in guaranteed money this season. However, this latest injury setback isn’t a great start to a potential redemption arc.
The new veteran running back
Doug R. asks: How much of an impact will AJ Dillon have?
Well, he’s already the biggest social media influencer on the squad. He’s a prolific social poster, sharing everything from his sports card collections to his charity work to his early exploits in Charlotte. He’s becoming a new-arrival darling because of how interactive he is online.
Regarding his on-field impact, it’ll likely come down to Jonathon Brooks’ health and Trevor Etienne’s second-year learning curve. If Brooks literally hits the ground running, the 2024 second-round pick — at worst — will be the 1B complement to Chuba Hubbard. And if Etienne steps his game up, on top of Brooks’ potential emergence, it’ll be hard for Dillon to get touches in the backfield.
The Panthers have mostly used a two-back rotation under head coach Dave Canales. The third back has occasionally received touches, but that player has mostly been used as a returner and starter insurance.
Dillon sustained a pretty notable neck injury in 2023, which cost him the entire 2024 campaign. He returned to the field in Philadelphia last year, but he finished the campaign with just 12 carries for 60 yards in seven games. He received just one touch between Week 7 and Week 18 last year.
Dillon has very limited kick return experience (just two returns last season), but maybe he can surprise the Panthers there. Etienne was a bit lackluster in both return gigs last year, so maybe Dillon could be some competition on kickoffs. Otherwise, Dillon could carve out a role as a short-yardage ball-carrier, sparing the Panthers from forcing a QB sneak setup.
Another running back to monitor is Tre Tyus, who is a practice-squad holdover from last year. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound back has some fans in the building, including his teammates, and he could be an option to battle for the third running back spot if Etienne falters and Dillon doesn’t get off to a strong start.
Searching for an undrafted gem
Daniel B. asks: Who do you think could be the UDFA/tryout type player to make waves in camp?
Last week, the mailbag named Hall, cornerback DeVonta Smith and offensive lineman Isaia Glass as the three undrafted rookies with the best shots at the 53-man roster.
That said, a guy who could become an interesting player this summer is wideout Kobe Prentice. The former Alabama and Baylor receiver averaged 13.5 yards per catch during his college career. He also had six touchdowns on just 26 completions last year.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound pass-catcher also has a history with Bryce Young. During Young’s final college season in 2022, the pair connected for 31 completions for 337 yards and two touchdowns.
Prentice has several wideouts ahead of him entering OTAs, but he is intriguing. While Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and third-round pick Chris Brazzell are locks for the roster, Prentice could — in theory — overtake the likes of Horn, David Moore, Dan Chisena, Ja’seem Reed and others to sneak onto the roster.
Depth on the high and the low...
@RedwallRascal asks: In your eyes, what position group has the most/best depth currently and what as the worst/least?
The cornerback group is probably the best overall unit on the roster. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson make up one of the best cornerback duos in the league. While nickel corner is sort of open-ended, Chau Smith-Wade and Corey Thornton can both play there. Akayleb Evans also can play there, and he is a legitimate special teams stud. Then, you get to fourth-round pick Will Lee, and he is likely to factor in as an immediate backup to Horn and Jackson, especially if he adapts to heavy zone coverage in camp. DeVonta Smith, Jaylon Guilbeau and Cam Miller are all viable competitors, too, as undrafted rookies.
The deepest position, though, is wide receiver. McMillan, Coker and Brazzell would make a strong trio. Legette, the 2024 first-round pick, is certainly embattled, but the Panthers still seemingly have faith in him. Metchie, a free-agent addition, has a history with Young, and he’s an interesting curveball player for the slot. Tremayne, Moore, Horn and Chisena are all legitimate NFL players and at least two of them will be jettisoned before the cut deadline. Prentice, Reed and Ainias Smith are intriguing young players hoping to surprise this summer. It’s not the strongest overall wideout group in the league, but it has at least 10 roster-worthy players.
Guard could be disaster from a depth perspective. Damien Lewis and Rob Hunt are Pro Bowl-level starters, but their backups leave a ton to be desired. Chandler Zavala has had nearly as many injury list stints as he’s had quality starts in his NFL career through three seasons. Saahdiq Charles is a journeyman backup who started his career at tackle, and he’s played in just two games since 2024. Glass, an undrafted rookie from Vanderbilt, could have a shot of unseating both on the depth chart if he successfully transitions from tackle to guard.
Brady Christensen, who is coming off an Achilles surgery, remains available in free agency. Last year’s fill-in right guard, Jake Curhan, is also unsigned. Both would be upgrades over practice-squad holdover Ja’Tyre Carter.
