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The Carolina Panthers’ 2023 season has been one to forget. Not only do they hold the league’s worst record at 2-12, but Carolina also has the league’s second worst point differential at -142. To make matters worse, the Panthers don’t even have their first-round pick this season after acquiring the No. 1 pick in 2023 and selecting Bryce Young.
Adding insult to injury, the Panthers have already fired head coach Frank Reich. They’ve watched the quarterbacks they passed on in the draft (CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson) all look like budding stars while Young has struggled mightily. To sum it all up: this season has been awful for the Panthers and their fan base.
Still, hope springs eternal for next season and the future. It can’t possibly can’t get worse than where things are at now. The Panthers do have just over $38 million and have tools in place to create even more than that. That cap space can be used to get Young some weapons and/or help on the offensive line.
Without a first-round pick at their disposal this season, the Panthers will have to open the check book and address these needs in free agency. Luckily, there could be plenty of options for the Panthers as they look to upgrade their offense. Three projected free agents, in particular, should be targets for the Panthers in the offseason.
Tee Higgins, Wide Receiver
The Cincinnati Bengals have multiple vessels at their disposal to maintain Tee Higgins. For one, they have the franchise tag, which could prevent a player designated with it from hitting the open market as a free agent. The Bengals themselves have roughly $68 million in cap space, more than what the Panthers have, that they can use to match or outbid any offer that comes their way.
With all the draft capital the Bengals have invested in their defense, they seem more willing to mix and match on that end and pay up to keep their star-studded group of skill players on offense.
That may be true, but the Bengals still are going to have to pay Chase and could potentially get outbid for Higgins depending on the price he fetches. Though the Panthers don’t have as much cap space as the Bengals, they should be willing to pay anything they can for Higgins because they are getting nothing from their receiver core.
It’s a big reason why Bryce Young is averaging just 5.3 yards per attempt. Carolina’s leading receiver this season is 33-year-old Adam Thielen, who is averaging a meager 1.68 yards per route run and 7.3 yards per target. He’s also benefitted from playing almost exclusively in the slot (90.9% slot snap share) and getting peppered with dink-and-dunk targets (Thielen’s average depth of target is only 7.4 yards).
Carolina’s outside receivers have not been up to par. Jonathan Mingo, their second-round rookie receiver who has picked it up of late, has caught just 40 of 81 targets and is averaging just 0.91 yards per route run. DJ Chark, their deep threat free agent acquisition, is averaging just 0.96 yards per route run. Tee Higgins, meanwhile, is a boss, and if anyone has doubts as to whether or not he is a number one receiver, check out his numbers when he plays and Ja’Marr Chase doesn’t.
Tee Higgins in four games without Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) last year:
* 26.2% target share
* 92.8 ypg
* Four top-24 finishesHiggins was targeted on 3 (25%) of Browning's 12 passes after Chase was injured Saturday.
— John Daigle (@notJDaigle) December 18, 2023
The Panthers might not even have the chance to sign Tee Higgins. But if they do, they should go all out to sign him.
Marquise Brown, Wide Receiver
Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown is not a wide receiver of Tee Higgins’ caliber, but he might be more attainable. The Arizona Cardinals currently hold the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If Caleb Williams and Drake Maye fall off the board, the Cardinals could continue to roll with Kyler Murray at QB. In that instance, Arizona could look to bolster their offense with a WR like Marvin Harrison jr.
While it can’t hurt to pair Harrison Jr. with Hollywood Brown, Arizona might look to allocate their cap sheet differently. They have about $55 million in cap space, but also have a ton of holes defensively. This current head coach and front office weren’t the ones who traded for Hollywood Brown and were floating Brown’s name in trade talks before the deadline.
One of those possible destinations was in fact Carolina. Now hitting free agency, it could be the perfect time for the Panthers to pounce.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Guard
Carolina could also stand to improve their offensive line. The Panthers rank 21st in pass block win rate and 31st in run block win rate this season according to ESPN’s win rate metrics. Halapoulivaati Vaitai could really help the Panthers in that regard. Vaitai has been hampered with injuries the last couple of seasons, but is one of the better guards in the NFL when he is healthy.
The Lions have been able to do more than get by in Vaitai’s absence, and because of that, he could be deemed expendable. If that’s the case, the Panthers should make a m move to bolster their offensive line.
More must-reads:
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