The Carolina Panthers are one of the more intriguing teams to focus on this offseason. After
narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season, they’ve put themselves in a great position to
succeed going forward after making one excellent hire after another when it comes to the
coaching staff.
Now, all that’s left to do is improve the roster, and Carolina could be the frontrunner to claim the NFC South crown in 2023.
Unfortunately for them, Carolina doesn’t have as much luxury as other teams, as they are currently one of 12 teams over the 2023 salary cap and will need to make some moves in order to sign top free agents.
Related: Carolina Panthers draft picks 2023
Quarterback is the most glaring need for Carolina and with the team having the ninth overall pick, they have the option to draft, trade or sign a new signal caller over the coming months. Additionally, the Panthers could also use a more-talented running back after trading away Christian McCaffrey in October, and another edge rusher to work alongside Brian Burns.
With all that said, here are 10 players the Panthers should target in free agency.
Derek Carr
The Panthers haven’t had a sustainable quarterback option since Cam Newton’s first stint with the team. It’s become such a problem that Carolina has had a different Week 1 starter at quarterback each of the past four seasons. Newly hired head coach Frank Reich likely won’t want Sam Darnold or PJ Walker to be the long-term starter and will bring in his guy to lead his offense.
This is where Derek Carr could come in and make Carolina his new home after being released from the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month.
Related: Carolina Panthers in talks with free-agent quarterback
Many would say that Carr had a down year in 2022, as he threw for just 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Compared to what the Panthers have been dealing with the past few seasons, that stat line alone would be an upgrade and likely leads the team to the playoffs.
Carr reportedly wants north of $35 million annually, and it’s unclear at the moment if Reich and the Panthers are willing to give up that much to the 31-year-old quarterback. Regardless, he would be an immediate upgrade at the quarterback position.
Related: Derek Carr fielding interest from Carolina Panthers
Jerick McKinnon
After trading away Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers split running back duties between D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard. Both had plenty of success running the ball but neither could replicate the pass-catching ability that McCaffrey provided.
Jerick McKinnon, coming off a Super Bowl victory with the Kansas City Chiefs, could immediately make a meaningful impact to Carolina’s passing attack. McKinnon is a bit older than most three-down backs but still proved to be a consistent piece in the Chiefs’ offense last season. He finished fourth on the team with 512 receiving yards and second in touchdowns with nine.
Jamaal Williams
Jamaal Williams’ 2022 campaign gave him plenty of recognition league wide, as he went for a career-high 1,066 rushing yards and a league-leading 17 touchdowns.
It will be tough to persuade Williams to leave Detroit, but one of the biggest factors that could lure him away is Duce Staley, whom the Panthers hired in January to be the team’s assistant head coach and running backs coach. Staley served in the same role with the Lions the past two seasons and played a huge role in Williams’ breakout year.
Related: NFL execs rave about Carolina Panthers’ hire
Carolina has the option of retaining D’Onta Foreman for a relatively cheap contract, but it may be worth it to spend a few million more for Williams’ output.
Staley will play a key role in the Panthers acquiring Williams in free agency, if they choose to pursue him.
Parris Campbell
It’s been tough sledding for Parris Campbell since entering the NFL in 2019, as he’s played just 32 of the possible 66 games in his career. He suffered long-term injuries in each of his first three seasons but managed to stay healthy in 2022 and caught 63 passes for 623 yards and three touchdowns.
Related: What the Thomas Brown hiring means for Carolina Panthers
Similarly to Williams, Campbell could reunite with Reich in Carolina, who has highly praised his former receiver during his time with the Indianapolis Colts.
Last year, Reich said he sees Campbell as a complete receiver that can play at every position on the field and succeed. If the Panthers free up enough cap space, signing Campbell will likely be a top priority.
Mike Gesicki
It’s expected that Mike Gesicki will be leaving the Dolphins this offseason after his role in the offense severely diminished in 2022. Gesicki caught just 32 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns last season but has proven to be more than capable of playing a larger role in an offense. And given the production from Carolina’s tight ends the past three seasons, they could use Gesicki’s services going forward.
The Panthers haven’t had a tight end eclipse more than 200 receiving yards in a single year since Greg Olsen retired after the 2019 season. Ian Thomas has been the team’s starter since 2020 and has been nothing short of disappointing. Tommy Tremble who has flashed sparingly but is still primarily used as a blocking tight end.
Joining forces could be the best for both worlds. Gesicki will get his career back on track and the Panthers will have another great pass-catching tight end while boosting its playoff chances for the seasons to come.
Mecole Hardman
Mecole Hardman was having another productive season with the Chiefs in 2022 before suffering an abdomen injury that sidelined him for all but one game in the second half of the year. Despite his consistent play over the years, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs resigning the 24-year-old receiver after seeing Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore step up in his absence.
The Panthers already have a No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore and a young, developing wideout in Terrace Marshall Jr., but desperately need a deep ball threat that Carolina hasn’t had in quite some time. Hardman isn’t going to magically turn into an elite route runner but he doesn’t need to be. His speed and shiftiness are enough to cause problems for defenses and will complement Moore in the passing game.
Arden Key
Carolina’s 35 sacks in 2022 ranked eighth worst in the NFL, which is surprising since they have one of the best young pass rushers in the league. Brian Burns racked up 12.5 sacks in 16 games last season, but the next closest defensive lineman was Marquis Haynes Sr. with five. The Panthers could use an upgrade along the edge.
Arden Key only started three games for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season but made the most of his opportunities when he got on the field, as he finished with 15 quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks. He also managed 17 quarterback hits and 6.5 sacks with the San Francisco 49ers two seasons ago.
According to Pro Football Focus, he’s generated pressure on 14.6% of pass rush snaps the past two seasons, which ranks 17th best over that span. At 26 years old, he’s got plenty of upside and his production could see a massive bump in a larger role on the Panthers’ defensive front.
Leighton Vander Esch
As aforementioned, the Panthers are over the cap and will need to make some moves this offseason, which includes cutting some veterans on huge deals to save money. Two potential cut candidates for the Panthers are linebackers in Shaq Thompson and Damien Wilson. Carolina would save $13.2 million if Thompson was cut and $3.6 million if Wilson was let go.
Related: 2023 NFL mock draft
Either way, the Panthers need to add somebody to its linebacker group, and Leighton Vander Esch fits the bill. Vander Esch hasn’t been nearly as productive as he was in his rookie year in 2018, but he’s still a solid linebacker that the Panthers should consider signing. He finished with 90 tackles, one sack and four tackles for loss in 14 games last season for the Dallas Cowboys.
Germaine Pratt
The Cincinnati Bengals have numerous pending free agents and aren’t going to be able to re-sign everyone. One of their key defensive pieces that is expected to leave — especially after his outburst following the AFC Championship Game loss — is Germaine Pratt, who had a career year in 2022.
Pratt only conceded a 62.1 passer rating when targeted, the best among all linebackers. He also earned a league-best 90.1 coverage grade, according to PFF. He totaled 90 tackles, 10 passes defensed, six tackles for loss and two interceptions across 15 regular season games.
See exclusive Sportsnaut videos on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
The 26-year-old is one of the best coverage linebackers out there and would be a huge pickup for the Panthers.
Taylor Rapp
It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Rams didn’t have the season they wanted in 2022, as injuries and lack of execution derailed their title-defense season. Despite the team’s shortcomings, Taylor Rapp played well individually and could be a key free agent signing for the Panthers on two fronts.
First, Rapp is a talented and versatile safety that earned career-high grades against the run and in coverage, according to PFF. But most importantly, Carolina is rumored to be considering moving safety Jeremy Chinn down to linebacker, which leaves a massive hole in the secondary.
If Chinn changes positions, Rapp would be a brilliant acquisition to fill the void on an already stout defense. The 25-year-old out of Washington went for 92 tackles, six passes defended and two interceptions for the Rams last season.