Ranking the Four Free Agents the Panthers Should Consider Signing
We are closing in on the final weeks of the offseason as the Carolina Panthers will begin training camp in Spartanburg, SC on July 26th.
There are still a few positions the Panthers will look to address between now and the start of the season and fortunately for them, there's still some proven commodities available in free agency.
Below, I ranked the four players the Panthers should consider signing. To clarify, I'm not suggesting they sign all four. This is the order in which I would pursue if I were in Scott Fitterer's shoes.
1. DE/LB Yannick Ngakoue
I've come around on Ngakoue's fit in Carolina. Didn't really care for it earlier this offseason but the more I think about it, the more I like it. He's arguably the best pass rusher on the market and that fits exactly what Carolina needs. He's a bit undersized (6'2", 246 lbs) to play defensive end in a 3-4, so I imagine he would slide into an outside linebacker role where he only has nine games of experience. Ngakoue doesn't help much in the run game but the Panthers can get creative to make sure they don't get gashed.
2. CB Marcus Peters
It blows my mind that we are only a few weeks away from training camp getting underway and Marcus Peters is not on an NFL roster. The Panthers have invested a lot into the cornerback room in previous years by extending Donte Jackson, drafting Jaycee Horn and Keith Taylor Jr., and trading for C.J. Henderson. But with injury concerns surrounding Jackson and Horn, the Panthers need to provide themselves with a security blanket. Peters is a pretty damn good option, considering he's a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. By signing Peters, it would also give Carolina more comfort throwing three corners on the field.
3. DE/LB Jadeveon Clowney
I had to do a double take when looking at Clowney's stats. I didn't realize he's never reached double-digit sacks in a single season. He does see an awful lot of double teams and gets chipped quite a bit but even then, I still found that surprising. The concern here is that he's beginning to decline considering he's racked up a combined 14 sacks over the last four seasons.
4. WR DeAndre Hopkins
I'm only including Hopkins because he is clearly the best receiver available right now and the Panthers, in my opinion, could still use another option at the position. That said, I'm not completely sold on the idea of Carolina pursuing Hopkins given his age, injury history, and the dollar figure it's going to take to sign him. If his free agency continues to linger deep into the preseason and that asking price drops slightly, then maybe it will make more sense. I imagine Scott Fitterer will look into it but would rather lean toward being extremely patient in any potential pursuit of Hopkins.
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