Carolina Panthers Free Agency Outlook
The Carolina Panthers appear to be heading toward a rebuild and with that, a complete roster overhaul could be in the works. Many veterans on the roster have expired contracts and with the team likely looking to get younger, could result in those vets playing somewhere else. Today, we give you the full breakdown of the Carolina Panthers free agency outlook.
2019 record: 5-11 (missed playoffs).
Salary cap space: $34 million, per overthecap.com.
Dead money: $16.3 million
- OL Matt Kalil $9.8 million
- TE Greg Olsen $3.7 million
- OLB Mario Addison $1.5 million
- WR Jarius Wright $666K
- S Rashaan Gaulden $423K
2020 unrestricted free agents:
- OG Greg Van Roten
- OT Darryl Williams
- WR Jarius Wright - (option has been declined)
- WR Chris Hogan
- DT Kyle Love
- DT Vernon Butler
- DT Stacy McGee
- DE Gerald McCoy
- OLB Mario Addison
- OLB Bruce Irvin
- CB James Bradberry
- CB Ross Cockrell
- CB Javien Elliott
- FS Tre Boston
2020 restricted free agents:
- WR DeAndrew White
- OT Dillon Gordon
Free agent game plan
The Panthers seem to be moving on from guys like Bruce Irvin, Mario Addison and Gerald McCoy. Although bringing back Irvin and McCoy is still a possibility, it doesn't seem realistic nor does it seem appropriate to. Both guys are in their low 30's and are going to be a little too expensive for Carolina - a team that doesn't have a lot of wiggle room to play with. With that being said, the Panthers are extremely thin on the defensive line, so bringing back Vernon Butler is key. For the secondary, James Bradberry reportedly wants $15 million per year in his new deal, which is absurdly steep. The only way Carolina would keep him is to franchise tag him and I'm not sure they would even be willing to do that. A multi-year deal with Bradberry seems very unlikely, so resigning Ross Cockrell and Tre Boston must be the Panthers goal.
Offensively, the only player that would be worth resigning is Greg Van Roten. At times, he looks like the Panthers best offensive lineman, but needs to get back to his level of production that he put out in 2018. Consistency is something that is important for him.
Position needs: DT, OG, CB, DE, TE
Five free agent targets:
DE Shaq Lawson - The fourth year man out of Clemson has carved out a solid career in the NFL, but nothing spectacular. He should be a relatively cheap option with an estimated market value of $7.6 million/year. Lawson did not start a single game last year for the Bills and would have an opportunity to start, if not expand his role in Carolina.
2019 stats: 32 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 18 QB hits (15 games).
CB Artie Burns - This may not be the most appealing option, but remember, the Panthers don't have a ton of cap space available and need help at corner as they are likely to lose James Bradberry. There's no reason to spend a lot of money in free agency when potentially going through a rebuild. Burns's role in Pittsburgh has diminished by the year and Carolina is the perfect place for him to try and revitalize his career.
2019 stats: 8 tackles (10 games).
CB Maurice Canady - Another extremely cheap option for the Panthers to add to the secondary. He made a base salary of $338K in 2019 and I don't expect that to rise by much, despite coming off of the best year of his career.
2019 stats: 46 tackles, five pass deflections, one interception (13 games).
OG Joe Haeg - The Panthers need to build some competition at guard with Trai Turner now in Los Angeles and Haeg could bring that to the table. He has played both guard positions and has also kicked out to right tackle before as well. Very versatile offensive lineman that is looking for an opportunity to start once again.
TE Eric Ebron - Another Indianapolis Colt that has hit the free agent market. Ebron has at times, shown flashes of being one of the top tight ends in the league, but hasn't quite reached his peak just yet. Cam Newton needs another reliable tight end to throw to and this could be the guy. His market value is an estimated $9.5 million, so this would definitely be the most expensive target, but also the target with the most upside.
2019 stats: 31 receptions, 375 yards, three touchdowns (11 games).
Who do you think the Panthers should resign and which free agents would you like to see them target? Let us know in the comment section below!
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