NFL analyst names thin defensive position Panthers' biggest remaining need

Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan checked as many boxes as he could this offseason, but there are still certain areas of the roster that need his attention, most of which reside on the defensive side of the football.

NFL analyst Logan Ulrich believes safety is the Panthers' biggest position of need following the draft.

“Carolina added Tre’von Moehrig in free agency and circled back with a somewhat similar play in fourth round S Lathan Ransom. They also re-signed Nick Scott but frankly he’s not even a roster lock if the Panthers are able to find better players between now and September.

“The good news is safety is a relatively easy position to find competent contributors. Carolina had Julian Blackmon and Marcus Williams in for visits in April and both remain unsigned. There are other free agents available as well, and more could shake loose in August.”

It's hard to disagree with the analysis here, especially because Ejiro Evero shouldn't have to rely on a rookie right out of the gate. He needs to have someone back there who has experience, even if it's not a high-level player. The ideal plan would be to ease Ransom in at safety while letting him get a ton of burn on special teams.

Outside of safety, cornerback is still a big need, in my opinion. Jaycee Horn is great, but you need more than him, especially given his injury history. Mike Jackson played well in 2024, but he needs competition. Chau Smith-Wade will see most of his time at nickel, so he doesn't really factor into the mix on the outside. Not taking a single corner in last month's draft was a surprise.