NFL free agency: Falcons starter inexplicably named Panthers missing piece on offense

Atlanta's starting center Drew Dalman is the top pending free agent at his position.

Dec 24, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman (67) prepares to snap the ball during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Thanks mostly to their two big upgrades at guard, the Carolina Panthers fielded one of the best offensive lines in the NFL this past season. At the end of the year, Pro Football Focus had this group ranked eighth-best in the league.

While Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt deserve most of the credit, the Panthers also got some surprisingly strong play at center. To begin the year they started Austin Corbett but he suffered a season-ending arm injury after just five games. Brady Christensen and Cade Mays also put in time after Corbett's exit, and they performed pretty well for backups.

Nvertheless, some people apparently think that center should be Carolina's top priority in free agency on this side of the ball. Bleacher Report has named Atlanta Falcons starter Drew Dalman as their missing piece on offense.

"The receiving corps needs work, but it's more important that they bolster the line for Bryce Young as there is some decent budding talent at wideout. A bigger potential game-changer could be stealing talented veteran center Drew Dalman from the division-rival Falcons."

Nov 10, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers guard Austin Corbett (63) looks on during the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

All due respect, we just don't see it. The Panthers got top-10 results with the offensive line that they had last year and spending big money on a center to marginally improve that unit isn't really going to move the needle, at least not nearly a much as signing a premier veteran wide receiver or a capable pass-catching tight end.

The best way to help Bryce Young reach the next level in his development is to find him more receivers who are capable of catching anything but a perfectly-placed ball in-between the numbers. Currently the only guy who's proven he can do more than that is Adam Thielen, and at 34 years old he's not a long-term solution to this problem.

If the Panthers are going to splurge on anybody in free agency, we'd prefer they go after a receiver with soft hands and a wide catch radius. On that score, Chris Godwin looks like the best mix of ability and experience without being on the wrong side of 30 years old.

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