The Most Underrated Move the Panthers Made in Free Agency So Far

The reigning NFC South champions had two concerns on the offensive line entering free agency. Both were addressed, poaching one division rival in the process.

Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) looks to pass as center Luke Fortner (79) blocks in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers are coming off their eighth consecutive losing campaign. However, the team managed to win the NFC South for the first time since 2015, and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

In two seasons under head coach Dave Canales, the Panthers have started two different quarterbacks and three different centers.

Entering free agency earlier this week, those aforementioned interior blockers—Austin Corbett, Brady Christensen, and Cade Mays—were all set to test the open market. While Corbett and Christensen remain unsigned, the coveted Mays inked a three-year deal with the Detroit Lions.

While Corbett and Christensen could still wind up returning to Charlotte, Morgan wound up wasting little time filling the void left by Mays’s defection. He not only signed a four-year performer with postseason experience, Morgan wound up raiding a divisional rival and a team that knocked off Canales’s club twice in 2025.

Panthers pivoted towards center Luke Fortner

While the Panthers’ signings of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and 2025 Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd earned the bigger headlines for the reigning division champions, it’s the addition of center Luke Fortner—late of the New Orleans Saints—that has gone a bit under the radar.

Jacksonville Jaguars center Luke Fortner (79) was all smiles while walking out of the tunnel during Helmet Walk before an NFL scrimmage at EverBank Stadium Friday August 1, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A third-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 finished as Pro Football Focus’ 17th-ranked center in 2025 as a member of the New Orleans Saints. The former University of Kentucky standout has never missed a game in four NFL seasons. Fortner started every contest for the Jaguars during his first two years in the league, including a pair of playoff tilts.

In 2024, the 6’4”, 307 pound performer wound up losing his starting job to free-agent addition Mitch Morse. A year ago, he was traded to the Saints where he began the season behind Erik McCoy on the depth chart. The latter went down with a torn biceps in the second half of a Week 7 clash with the Bears. Fortner took over the following Sunday and played every offensive snap for the team’s final 10 games.

Carolina filled a big need and at a bargain price

Nov 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints center Cesar Ruiz (51) and center Luke Fortner (79) attempt to block Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zeek Biggers (93) during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

It’s worth noting that the four-year pro signed a one-year, $4.75 million contract (via Spotrac) with the defending NFC South champions, a team Fortner’s Saints knocked off twice this past season. It’s very possible that Morgan could also look to address the center position in the draft considering that Nick Samic is the only other pivot currently on the roster.

Regardless, Fortner comes off the highest-graded season via PFF of his short career, and his familiarity with the rest of the division—albeit brief—is a bit of a positive as well.