Dan Morgan's Five Biggest Tasks

What does Carolina's new general manager need to do?

Author:
Matt Alquiza
Jan 23, 2024 2:42 PM EST

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On Monday evening, the Carolina Panthers named Dan Morgan the franchise’s President of Football Operations/General Manager. Morgan is a franchise legend on the field, and now has the opportunity to be come a franchise legend in the front office.

Morgan has quite the task in front of him.

The Panthers' roster lacks talent, lacks youth, and lacks cohesion. The rookie quarterback has a leaky offensive line and no weapons, and the defense doesn't have the true elite pass rusher (under contract) that the best teams have.

For Carolina to get back to the heights the team reached in the 2000s and 2010s, Morgan will need to get to work quickly. Here are the five biggest decisions that he has to make.

Hire the right head coach

Morgan has been involved in head coaching interviews, so he now has the chance to get his guy. Say what you want about the hiring of Dan Morgan, but the fact that he's been a part of interviews leads to the congruency between front office and coaching staff that we've been desperate to see for some time.

The first decision he has to make is to bring in the team's next head coach. Ejiro Evero and Dave Canales both have scheduled second interviews, and both have history with Morgan.

Canales and Morgan spent eight seasons in Seattle together; Morgan in the front office, Canales on the coaching staff.

Evero and Morgan were in the building together all of 2023, giving Morgan a deep knowledge of Evero's leadership skills and coaching acumen.

In my opinion, the coaching search will come down to those two guys and Morgan has to get it right. The seemingly endless churn of coaches has to come to an end now.

Nail the 2024 draft

Carolina lacks elite draft capital due to the 2023 trade with Chicago, but there is talent to be found even in the later rounds when the Panthers have picks.

The Scott Fitterer era was marred by draft misses, and Morgan will need to turn that around. The most efficient way to build a roster in the NFL is to hit on draft picks that play on cheap contracts. Look at the Rams and Lions specifically. The Lions nailed their top three picks in the 2023 draft and are currently preparing for the NFC Championship game. The Rams defense played more rookies than any unit in the league and earned a playoff berth.

Teams across the league consistently find hidden gems in the draft's later rounds, and Carolina has consistently missed on those picks. Morgan has a vaunted scouting background, and he'll need it to add cheap talent to a barren Panthers roster.

Hire a salary cap expert

All of the reporting around Morgan's hiring has included the fact that he will get paired with a cap expert. Morgan's depth of scouting knowledge makes him an intriguing hire, but he'll need a math expert to help the team out of their current situation.

Aging veterans are on the books for 2024 (Donte Jackson, Shaq Thompson, Hayden Hurst), and Morgan and his cap expert co-worker are going to need to clear room for the team to bring in some younger players. Some tough decisions need to be made, but Morgan can't be afraid to gut the roster and completely hit the reset button on the field.

Surround Bryce Young with talent

Outside of Morgan and the next head coach, Bryce Young is the most important person to the future success of the Carolina Panthers. The capital spent on Young makes him vital to the team's success going forward.

We saw in 2023 that Young is unable to operate with a porous offensive line and limited weapons. Carolina absolutely, unequivocally, can not go into 2024 with Young being in the same situation. If Carolina spends cap money and draft picks on skill position players and Bryce Young begins to thrive, great. The team has their franchise quarterback that will lead the team for a decade. If Carolina spends cap money and draft picks on skill position players and Bryce Young still struggles, great. The franchise knows that Young isn't that guy and can move on in 2025.

This offseason and upcoming season are imperative to figuring out if Bryce Young is the future in Charlotte.

Figure out the futures of Ikem Ekwonu and Brian Burns

The 2022 sixth overall pick is vital to Carolina's future. Morgan needs to decide, and quickly, if Ekwonu has the chops to play left tackle or if he'd be better suited inside at guard. Once Morgan makes a long-term decision on the future of Ekwonu, he can then upgrade the offensive line spot that Ekwonu won't be manning.

Also, Brian Burns heads into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Burns' representation and former GM Scott Fitterer never came close to a deal, so perhaps a new voice leading the Panthers' side of the negotiation helps. If not, the franchise tag can come into play.