Dan Morgan Can't Escape Blame for Panthers' 43-13 Disaster

There are plenty of people who deserve blame for what happened to the Carolina Panthers against Tampa Bay. Bryce Young turned the ball over three times, the defense gave up 258 rushing yards and the offensive line allowed five sacks.

Dan Morgan deserves some of that blame, too.

I've liked a lot of what Morgan has done since taking over as general manager. The Panthers have more talent than they did when he got the job, and he's made some good moves trying to clean up a roster that needed a lot of work.

That doesn't mean I have to agree with every decision he's made. Sunday exposed a few areas where I think Carolina could've done more with its roster, especially once injuries started piling up.

Carolina could've done more at corner

This is the one I've had the biggest problem with because the Panthers have known for weeks that they were going to be without their two starting corners.

Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson have been on injured reserve since late September. Carolina brought Robert Rochell back to the practice squad and moved forward with Will Lee III, Akayleb Evans and Chau Smith-Wade on the active roster.

I would've liked to see Morgan add another veteran.

That doesn't mean there was some obvious trade sitting there for Carolina to make. We don't know what other teams were asking for, which players were actually available or what conversations Morgan had around the league.

But from the outside looking in, I thought the Panthers needed more help at the position.

Carolina didn't need another No. 1 corner. Even somebody who could come in and give the Panthers dependable snaps while Horn and Jackson worked their way back would've made me feel better about the group.

Now Evans is dealing with an injury, too, leaving Carolina even thinner at the position.

Maybe Morgan believed the Panthers had enough to get through this stretch until Horn and Jackson returned. If so, I understand not wanting to overpay for what could've been a temporary fix.

I still would've added somebody.

The injuries at edge have exposed another problem

I'm not blaming Morgan because players got hurt. No general manager can control that, and Carolina has had some bad luck there.

Jaelan Phillips couldn't play against Tampa Bay because of a hamstring injury, while Thomas Incoom was placed on injured reserve with a calf injury. Carolina elevated Nick Hampton from the practice squad before Sunday's game.

At that point, you're getting pretty deep into the roster.

That's where I think it's fair to question whether Carolina has enough proven depth available at the position right now. Once the injuries started piling up, players who weren't necessarily expected to have major roles were suddenly being asked to play more.

That's going to happen during an NFL season. Nobody has starters sitting on the bench waiting for somebody to get hurt.

But the drop-off has been noticeable, and Carolina hasn't gotten enough from its remaining edge group to make up for what it lost.

The injuries aren't Morgan's fault. I do think it's fair to question whether the Panthers were prepared well enough to handle them.

The offensive line is harder to defend

This is probably where I'm most frustrated with Morgan because I agreed with what he was trying to do.

Protecting Young had to be a priority. We had already watched what happened when Carolina put him behind a bad offensive line, and there was no reason to keep doing that to a young quarterback the franchise was trying to evaluate.

Morgan invested heavily in fixing it. Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis signed deals worth a combined $153 million in 2024, making it pretty clear how important rebuilding the interior of the offensive line was to Carolina.

At the time, I thought it was exactly what the Panthers needed to do.

That's also why watching Young get sacked five times against Tampa Bay was so frustrating.

I'm not putting every sack on the offensive line. Young can get rid of the football quicker on some plays, and sometimes the guy on the other side simply wins. That's going to happen.

What shouldn't happen very often is an offensive line with this much invested in it getting overwhelmed for an entire afternoon.

Carolina didn't spend all that money just to be a little better up front. The Panthers made those investments because protecting Young had become one of the biggest issues on the roster.

Sunday wasn't close to good enough.

Morgan has some things to answer for

Jul 31, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan looks on during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I'm not going to look at one 43-13 loss and suddenly decide Morgan has done a bad job. I still think he's made this roster better, and there are moves he's made that I would make again.

But part of being the general manager is deciding where you need more help and where you're comfortable with what you already have.

I thought Carolina needed another corner before Sunday, and I still do. The injuries at edge have shown how quickly the depth there can be tested. Morgan also put significant resources into an offensive line that didn't come close to playing well enough against Tampa Bay.

None of that means Morgan is responsible for everything that happened Sunday.

The players still have to play. Dave Canales and his staff have plenty to answer for, too. A general manager can't control turnovers, missed assignments or what happens on every snap.

But Morgan built the roster those coaches and players are working with.

If we're going to give him credit for helping make the Panthers better, it's fair to question some of his decisions when the holes in that roster show up this clearly.

After what happened Sunday, I think he's earned some of the blame.

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