3 Moves the Carolina Panthers Must Make This Offseason
As the NFL offseason officially begins for all 32 teams, we will examine what each franchise must do in free agency and the NFL Draft to emerge a better, more complete team when the 2025 season kicks off in September.
Will the real Bryce Young please stand up?
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft struggled mightily early last season, to the point of being benched by head coach Dave Canales, in favor of savvy veteran Andy Dalton. However, when Dalton was injured in a car wreck, Young was inserted back into the starting lineup. Young showed some flashes of what drew the Panthers to select him over C.J. Stroud, offering some glimmering hope of a brighter future in Carolina.
Finishing the 2024 season with 2,403 passing yards and 15 touchdowns to nine interceptions, the 23-year-old Young likely showed enough over the Panthers’ closing stretch to solidify his role as the franchise’s quarterback of the present, and perhaps its future.
Now, general manager Dan Morgan has a very defined mission this offseason: hoard as much talent as can reasonably be expected to be acquired throughout one offseason, build around Young, and prop up a window to compete over the next three seasons in a very wide-open NFC South.
Here’s a full breakdown of the Panthers’ assets to rebuild with this offseason, and three moves that could turn things around in Carolina.
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Carolina Panthers Cap Space
Morgan and the Panthers might struggle to build through free agency, which is probably for the best if Carolina intends to build a roster capable of sustained success.
That’s because Carolina is only projected to have $23.8 million in effective cap space this offseason, and have some big holes to fill in the secondary, at wide receiver, and perhaps most importantly, along the offensive line in front of Young.
However, once the Panthers officially release Miles Sanders, Carolina can create $5.22 million in new cap space while triggering a $2.95 million dead-money charge, which will give Morgan some additional spending flexibility in the months ahead.
Carolina Panthers Draft Picks
Picking inside the top 10 picks should give the Panthers an opportunity to emerge with a blue-chip, instant contributor in the first round.
Morgan is armed with nine picks in April’s draft, including five in the first four rounds, which could create some optionality either to move up and down the board throughout the weekend or to invest in a veteran at a key position of need.
Round 1, pick No. 8
Round 2, pick No. 57 (via Los Angeles Rams)
Round 3, pick No. 74
Round 4, pick No. 110
Round 4, pick No. 113 (via Dallas Cowboys)
Round 5, pick No. 141 (via New York Giants)
Round 5, pick No. 147
Round 5, pick No. 164 (via Baltimore Ravens)
Round 7, pick No. 229 (via San Francisco 49ers)
Three Moves the Carolina Panthers Must Make This Offseason
Trade for Cooper Kupp
The Rams have hung a clearance sign in front of Cooper Kupp this offseason, and Morgan would be wise to invest some of the Panthers’ additional draft capital in prying away the 31-year-old wide receiver.
If the Panthers are serious about hastening Young’s development, and taking a big step forward on offense in a division that is ripe for the taking, Carolina has to emerge with a true No. 1 wide receiver this offseason.
Kupp caught 67 passes for 710 yards and six touchdowns, in 12 games last season. But, most importantly from a Panthers perspective, Pro Football Focus points out that Matthew Stafford posted a strong 110.8 passer rating when targeting him.
Pairing Kupp alongside Adam Thielen and 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette is the foundation of a formidable receiving corps with the potential to elevate Young in 2025, and beyond.
Adding a reliable veteran receiver with true No. 1 traits may be the most important item on the Panthers’ to-do list this offseason, and even despite his injury concerns in recent seasons, Kupp fits that billing in spades.
Take Michigan CB Will Johnson No. 7 Overall
Carolina’s defense desperately needs to add playmakers at all three levels, but few positions are more vital to a defense’s success than at cornerback, and Will Johnson is the definition of a ballhawk.
The 6-foot-2 and 202-pound Johnson is as dominant in coverage, where he held opposing quarterbacks to a meager 52.6 passer rating while intercepting two passes, as he is in run-support, where Pro Football Focus awards him a strong 73.6 run-stopping grade.
Across three seasons in Ann Arbor, Johnson pulled down nine interceptions while only allowing a completion on 53 percent of his targets.
Dropping Johnson into the secondary opposite Jaycee Horn could be the foundation of an elite secondary and a strong building block for the rest of the Panthers’ defense.
Sign Free Agent OG Will Fries
The Panthers’ offensive line was borderline competent last season, finishing as Pro Football Focus’ No. 8 ranked unit in the league.
However, shoring up the interior may be exactly what the Panthers need to do, in order to protect Young and allow him even a split second’s more time to scan the field from the pocket. Guard Robert Hunt was a bit of a weak link, allowing five sacks and 38 pressures last season, according to PFF.
Adding a veteran such as Will Fries may be the kind of upgrade that can level up Young and the rest of the offense. The 26-year-old only allowed two sacks and six total pressures in five games last season. The fact that Fries is coming off surgery to repair a fractured tibia could keep his asking price down, but the Panthers may have the chance to buy low on a veteran who had a strong 86.9 overall grade from PFF before getting hurt.
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