5 Free Agents We Can't Believe the Panthers Haven't Signed Yet

The Carolina Panthers don't have a ton of money leftover after spending quite a lot in free agency. Still, there is some, and the Panthers can always free up more with a handful of moves. Why they haven't signed the following free agents is interesting, to say the least.

Deebo Samuel

On the one hand, it's not that surprising that the Panthers haven't signed Deebo Samuel. Their wide receiver room is crowded, and they took a flyer on John Metchie rather than Samuel, so what would be the point now?

The truly surprising part is that the Panthers opted to go for Metchie over Samuel, Stefon Diggs, or even Tyreek Hill. Metchie is Bryce Young's college teammate, but banking on that translating now is riskier than signing a much more proven receiver to bolster the depth chart.

Bobby Okereke

The Panthers didn't truly address the linebacker void in the draft. Aside from Devin Lloyd, the depth chart is not in good shape. Trevin Wallace could be decent, but so far, he's a major question mark. Everything after him is honestly a negative.

They could've drafted someone but chose not to (excluding the seventh-round flyer on special teamer Jackson Kuwatch). They could also just sign Bobby Okereke (or even Bobby Wagner) to a cheap one-year deal to fill that void until the 2027 draft. It's surprising that former LB Dan Morgan hasn't done this.

Jonnu Smith

Much like with the WR room, the Panthers seem content to keep Tommy Tremble as their veteran leader tight end. He knows the offense, so maybe it's not all that surprising. But talent-wise, Jonnu Smith and a couple of other tight ends that are still available would be much better.

Training camp hasn't yet started, so it's not as if a free agent would be totally behind the eight ball here. Smith does things the Panthers offense doesn't have a lot of, and he'd be an immediate starter, so it's been a little puzzling to see the team ignore the position.

Brady Christensen

The depth on the interior of the offensive line, namely guard, is thin. If Robert Hunt or Damien Lewis get hurt, the team would unfortunately have to turn to Chandler Zavala as it stands. That would be far from ideal.

The Panthers know Christensen. They like him. He is versatile and was pretty good when pressed into action. Why he has been left to rot on the open market is truly interesting. At this point, he'd be extremely cheap and easy to bring in.

Larry Ogunjobi

Tershawn Wharton was pretty bad last season. He posted a 43.0 PFF grade, so the Panthers could have used an upgrade at his position. Now, he could miss most, if not all, of the season. He's expected to return from neck surgery, but it will be a long time.

Not only do the Panthers need a better lineman, but now they need one period. Their depth has been rocked by this injury, even with Lee Hunter in town. They could sign Larry Ogunjobi, a decent if unspectacular depth piece up front, but haven't. It's strange.

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