The Perfect Carolina Panthers Free Agency Target Isn't Who You Think

Earlier this month, we determined that the Carolina Panthers need to find a specific type of wide receiver to help Bryce Young. They've established Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker as the top two who have their roles, but beyond that, it gets messy.

Xavier Legette looks like a bust (and also doesn't fit the needed archetype), Jimmy Horn Jr. is a project, and Brycen Tremayne is a special teams player. Let's hope they don't re-sign David Moore again.

So where does the answer lie? Is it in the draft in the form of Makai Lemon in round one? What about a later pick on Omar Cooper or Elijah Sarratt? Maybe Jauan Jennings, Mike Evans, or Alec Pierce in free agency?

How about none of those options? What about someone much cheaper who fills the archetypal need wonderfully and isn't going to challenge McMillan or Coker for targets?

Enter JuJu Smith-Schuster. In our research, we found that the Panthers need someone who can both separate and create yards after the catch. The Panthers currently don't have a wide receiver that does either one terribly well.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster (9) celebrates during the fourth quarter | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Smith-Schuster is solid in the YAC department, averaging 5.8 yards of YAC per reception. That's a good bit above the NFL average of 5.2, and it ranks 73rd among every player to catch a pass this year. That includes running backs who catch tons of screens and get easy YAC by play design.

He checks the YAC box. What about separation? He averages 3.5 yards of separation, which is good enough for 31st in the entire NFL. It is far better than the best Panther (McMillan with 2.7 yards of separation).

Smith-Schuster checks the separation box. He's a free agent this year, and he's flying totally under the radar. Spotrac projects his next deal will be worth about $2.1 million annually. That is likely a one-year deal.

The Panthers should be all over Smith-Schuster, even if he's 29 and doesn't have incredible statistical production. The underlying numbers say he's the ideal target for the Panthers, and he won't break the bank.

They could easily woo him with a three-year, $12 million deal that makes sure he sticks around for a while to help the young WRs and be a useful addition for Young without remotely breaking the bank.

For what it's worth, Deebo Samuel also checks the YAC and separation boxes and is probably significantly better. However, Smith-Schuster will fit in perfectly as WR3, and Samuel is projected to cost over $13 million annually, which might be a bit steep.

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