Panthers' latest move boosts special teams, but might be warning sign at safety

The Carolina Panthers finally ended their quiet streak this past week, re-signing a couple of depth options. First, they brought back wide receiver David Moore on a one-year deal. Moore caught 32 of 57 targets last season, totaling 351 yards and three touchdowns. If nothing else, Moore is another body at wide receiver, a spot where Carolina is relatively weak and thin compared to the competition.

The Panthers also announced that they have agreed to terms with safety Nick Scott on a one-year deal on Saturday. Prior to the agreement, Carolina only had two safeties on the roster in Tre'Von Moehrig and Demani Richardson.

A seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, Scott had a couple strong seasons when he saw significant action on defense in 2021-2022. He posted four interceptions and nine PBUs during that run, but it didn't earn him any kind of a respectable contract. After one season with the Bengals he landed with the Panthers last year. Scott wound up playing 325 snaps on defense (46%) and was also a core special teams contributor for Carolina, putting in another 172 snaps in that phase (60%).

While the Panthers needed to add somebody at safety, bringing back Scott at this point in the offseason raises a point of concern that's similar to the David Moore move. All due respect to Moore and Scott and their abilities, there's a good chance that both of them still would have been on the market several months from now.

In the meantime, there are several excellent veteran wide receivers who are still available, including Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs. The Panthers have shown no interest whatsoever in this free agent class, though - despite their receiver corps being consistently ranked near the bottom of the league.

Carolina's safety situation last season was no better, as their starting tandem of Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller was arguably the worst in the NFL. Replacing both of them had to be on the to-do list this offseason, and the Panthers got off to a great start by signing Moehrig - one of the top free agents this cycle and a massive, massive, massive upgrade at one of their safety spots.

Nov 29, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig (7) warms up prior to a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The other one is still a major point of concern because there are no proven options currently on the roster. In this case, there's also still a bunch of quality free agents out there, including former All-Pro Justin Simmons, Marcus Williams, Rayshawn Jenkins and Julian Blackmon.

Our concern is that the Panthers have once again radically overestimated the talent on their own roster compared to the rest of the league. At wide receiver, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker might very well develop into strong starters some day, but they are as-yet unproven. Planning to have David Moore as the WR4 option is lazy when there are so many far-better options available.

The safety situation is arguably even thinner, as there's practically nothing behind Moehrig on the depth chart right now. Bringing back special teams ace Sam Franklin Jr. should also be on the menu, but the Panthers absolutey have to address the spot opposite Moehrig at some point this offseason.

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