Carolina Panthers' Biggest Remaining Needs After the Draft - What’s Still Missing

The Panthers did pretty well in the draft after a good free agency, but their roster is far from complete.

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (0) runs on to the field before the game | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Entering the offseason, the Carolina Panthers were in rough shape. They needed a ton of things. Edge rusher, safety, linebacker (multiple, honestly), tight end, center, left tackle, and more were all pretty glaring holes.

In free agency, the Panthers addressed a lot of those needs. Then, in the draft, they were able to take the best players available and still fill some holes on the roster. But even after all that, there are still holes left.

Biggest Remaining Needs After the Panthers' 2026 Draft

Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Monroe Freeling is selected by the Carolina Panthers | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Panthers have added the following in free agency or the draft:

• Center (2x)
• Linebacker (2x)
• Safety
• Cornerback
• Left tackle (2x)
• Defensive lineman
• Edge rusher
• Quarterback
• Wide receiver (2x)

That's a lot of additions, but it speaks to how weak the roster was beforehand. And that list doesn't convey how well they did to address those holes, but that's a story for another day. Despite all that, there are still things this roster needs.

The first one you will notice is not at all on the list. The Panthers did not sign a free agent tight end. They didn't draft one. Kenyon Sadiq was a popular mock draft, but he wasn't there, and the Panthers would've drafted Monroe Freeling anyway.

They passed on Eli Stowers and Justin Joly, among others. They prefer to run it back with Tommy Tremble, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and Mitchell Evans. That's a pretty weak group, but the Panthers don't use tight ends all that much, so it might be fine.

The Panthers did draft a safety, but as of now, it's still a hole. Nick Scott projects to be the starter, which we learned in 2025 is far from ideal. Zakee Wheatley and Lathan Ransom are in competition with Scott, but neither look like a sure thing yet. For now, passing on Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren leaves a void.

Penn State defensive back Zakee Wheatley (DB54) during the NFL Scouting Combine | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Panthers signed a linebacker and drafted another, but signing Devin Lloyd and drafting Jackson Kuwatch hardly fixes the issue. Lloyd is a big upgrade, but Kuwatch is a special teamer. They still only have one viable ILB on the roster, so it remains a hole.

The last "hole," so to speak, is guard depth. The Panthers are not in good shape there. Last year, they had Austin Corbett, Brady Christensen, and Chandler Zavala behind Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. Those two remain as good starters, but with only Zavala left, one injury could tank the offensive line.