Offseason In Review: Carolina Panthers

The Eagles wanted to retain Phillips, making an offer to keep their 2025 deadline acquisition, but a big Panthers guarantee won out. Both Phillips and Trey Hendrickson received $60MM at signing. While Hendrickson’s resume is a couple planes higher than Phillips’, the latter is nearly five years younger.

Of course, Phillips’ resume includes significant injury hurdles. The former first-round pick surmounted each to create a big market after a strong closing stretch in Philadelphia, but Carolina made a sizable wager on a player who briefly left the sport in college, missed extensive time in 2023 and then most of the 2024 season due to injury.

An Achilles tear derailed a Phillips 2023 breakout year, and his comeback encountered turbulence via a September 2024 ACL tear. It is quite impressive Phillips positioned himself so well by March 2026, as he far escaped “prove it” deal territory by putting together a strong contract year split between Miami and Philly. The 2021 Dolphins first-rounder, dealt to the Eagles for a 2026 third-round choice, posted 35 QB pressures (12th leaguewide). Phillips’ pressure rate (18.8% — fourth among players with at least 250 defensive snaps) came in far north of Hendrickson or fellow coveted EDGE Odafe Oweh’s 2025 numbers.

The Panthers punted on replacing Brian Burns in 2024, adding stopgaps Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum. They approached the situation from more of a long-term angle last year, adding Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen on Day 2 of the draft, but Evero’s unit outproduced just two teams in sacks, registering 30. Scourton and Pro Bowl D-tackle Derrick Brown were the only Panthers to record more than three, and neither eclipsed five. Phillips represents a different caliber of investment from the Panthers, who certainly rued the day they passed on a Rams two-first-rounder (plus a third) offer for Burns at the 2022 trade deadline.

Even with the Scourton ACL tear dealing the Panthers a blow, Evero still has two promising front-seven players to pair with Brown. Lloyd followed Phillips in committing to Carolina, doing so after a breakthrough contract year.

For PFR regulars, the trend of first-round inside linebackers having early passes to free agency via the fifth-year option issue — as all linebackers are still grouped together under the option and franchise tag umbrellas — is well-covered ground. This offseason’s beneficiaries — Lloyd and Quay Walker — cashed in after the Jaguars and Packers respectively declined their 2026 options last year. Lloyd submitted a borderline-dominant contract year after the Jags declined his option, and this contract is easily the most notable ILB deal the Panthers have authorized since Shaq Thompson‘s 2019 extension.

Carolina carries a rich history at ILB, having seen Luke Kuechly earn Hall of Fame entry this year; the Kuechly-Thomas Davis duo was one of this century’s best. Carolina has struggled to staff this position since Kuechly’s early retirement hit the transaction wire in 2020. Thompson battled injuries in each of his final two Panthers seasons, while the Panthers’ decision to pay Josey Jewell — who played for Evero in Denver — over Frankie Luvu backfired. A 2024 concussion may have ended Jewell’s career, while Luvu’s hybrid skillset has helped Washington.

The Panthers badly need help here, and while they were in on the Tremaine Edmunds street free agent market, Lloyd brings the higher-ceiling option at this point. Hours after the Giants snagged Edmunds, Lloyd — who had drawn a Jags offer and Cowboys interest — committed to the Panthers.

Although Quay Walker fetched slightly more guaranteed at signing ($28MM) on his Raiders deal, Lloyd outdid his 2022 first-round classmate in AAV ($15MM-$13.5MM). The Utah alum’s per-year number is tied for seventh among off-ball ‘backers; at the time of signing, Lloyd’s AAV ranked fourth at the position.

Lloyd (28 in September) is on the older end for a first-time free agent; he is nearly a year older than Phillips despite entering the NFL a year later. PFR’s No. 9-ranked free agent upped his stock considerably last season, however.

The Jaguars’ defense displayed tremendous improvement under Anthony Campanile last season, vaulting from 26th in EPA per play in 2024 to sixth in ’25, and Lloyd played an integral role. He intercepted five passes — one of which a 99-yard pick-six off Patrick Mahomes (as Chiefs fan Heidi Gardner looked on in horror) — and tallied a career-high 10 QB hits en route to second-team All-Pro acclaim. Pro Football Focus had viewed Lloyd as a top-15 off-ball LB in 2023 and ’24; the advanced metrics site slotted him third last year.

This was certainly a top-heavy Panthers FA class, but the team managed to land three of PFR’s top-10 FAs by nabbing Rasheed Walker. The three-year Packer’s market did not soar like Dan Moore Jr.‘s had in 2025, and it is worth wondering if the ex-Steelers left tackle’s Titans struggles contributed to teams’ hesitancy on David Bakhtiari‘s successor. Like Moore, Walker hit free agency in his prime — after having been a longtime starter at a premium position — but this was easily free agency period’s most underwhelming market. It created an opportunity for the Panthers.

Added to serve as a stopgap while four-year starter Ikem Ekwonu recovers from a patellar tendon tear suffered in the wild-card round — Ekwonu’s tear occurred hours before Bears LT Ozzy Trapilo, though the latter is now off Chicago’s PUP list — Walker comes to Charlotte after an offseason arrest. Two gun charges emerged after the 26-year-old blocker was arrested at LaGuardia Airport in January. Walker entered a pretrial diversion program in an effort to have the charges dismissed; no suspension has come, and the Panthers’ depleted tackle situation has him as the clear LT starter.

Pickett is only in Year 5, but he has already been traded three times; the Panthers are team No. 5 for the former first-round pick. The Panthers were loosely linked to Pickett in 2022, but they stayed the course with Sam Darnold (before trading for Baker Mayfield) and drafted Ekwonu at No. 6. Ex-Carolina GM Scott Fitterer was proven right there, making it rather interesting his former assistant GM (Dan Morgan) circled back to the former first-rounder — albeit with a much cheaper investment.

It is worth wondering if the Panthers are better off with Pickett backing up Bryce Young than Andy Dalton, but team brass determined that to be the case despite the former No. 20 overall pick’s struggles.

Pickett did not regain his Steelers starting job after a November 2023 ankle injury. Mason Rudolph played over Pickett once the younger passer returned from injury, and Pittsburgh passed on Pickett being Russell Wilson‘s 2024 backup. The Eagles installed Pickett as their 2024 QB2, and while he earned a Super Bowl ring, Philly dealt him to Cleveland and promoted Tanner McKee to the backup spot. A crowded Browns QB competition led to Pickett being dealt to Las Vegas; he made two starts last season.

Pickett, 28, is a career 62.4% passer (at just 6.2 yards per attempt) and holds a 16:16 TD-INT ratio. This is an uninspiring profile, but Dalton is entering an age-39 season. After ex-Panther third-rounder Will Grier‘s reunion ended with a July retirement (and move to the Cowboys’ coaching staff), the team added Trask. The 2021 Buccaneers second-rounder lost a 2023 competition to Baker Mayfield and has been off the radar since. Trask (11 career pass attempts) spent part of last season on the Falcons’ practice squad.

Fortner started 34 Jaguars games over his first two seasons, winning the job as a third-round rookie, being a 2024 Mitch Morse signing keyed a demotion. The Jags’ Liam Coen-James Gladstone regime dealt Fortner to the Saints, with whom he started 10 games last year. Pass block win rate ranked Fortner 18th among all interior O-linemen last year, though the $1.33MM guarantee indicates teams were not sold. Fortner is competing with fifth-round rookie Sam Hecht for the Carolina center gig.

Not only have the Panthers received minimal production from the tight end spot in the 2020s; they have displayed apathy toward the position. Since Greg Olsen‘s 2020 exit, the Panthers have one 250-plus-yard receiving season from a tight end — Ja’Tavion Sanders‘ 342-yard 2024.

The team has paid modest attention to the problem, using third- (Tommy Tremble, 2021) and fourth-round (Sanders, 2024) picks to round out the depth chart. In an offseason in which Dalton Schultz and Mike Gesicki landed lower-cost deals, Carolina gave Hayden Hurst a three-year, $21.75MM contract. None of Carolina’s moves has provided anything resembling a reliable receiving threat.

Adding Waller ahead of his age-34 season may not, either, but the unretired veteran’s receiving pedigree at least shows the franchise’s moderate interest in giving Young a receiving option here. Waller unretired to join the Dolphins last year, and while his usual run of injuries led to eight missed games, the former Pro Bowler did average 11.8 yards per reception — as part of a bad Dolphins offense — and score six touchdowns. Waller has missed 27 games over his past four seasons. The Panthers’ neglect for receiving TE help has been one of this decade’s stranger positional subplots; they will go into 2027 with a glaring need.

Re-signings:

• Sam Martin, P. Two years, $3.75MM ($2MM guaranteed)
• J.J. Jansen, LS. One year, $1.49MM ($1.26MM guaranteed)
• Nick Scott, S. One year, $2MM ($1.1MM guaranteed)
• Trevis Gipson, OLB. One year, $1.4MM ($599K guaranteed)
• Claudin Cherelus, ILB. One year, $1.29MM ($461K guaranteed)
• James Mitchell, TE. One year, $1.29MM ($411K guaranteed)
• Isaiah Simmons, ILB. One year, $1.4MM ($188K guaranteed)
• Brady Christensen, OL. One year, $2.77MM
• David Moore, WR. One year, $1.49MM
• Jake Curhan, OL. One year, $1.22MM

The Panthers showed interest in bringing Jaylinn Hawkins over from the Patriots, but he chose the Ravens. Days later, Scott recommitted. One of Evero’s ex-Rams charges still in place, Scott became a full-time Panthers starter after making only four first-string appearances in 2024. Scott logged a 98% snap share, reminding of his 2022 full-time work in Los Angeles. Pro Football Focus ranked Scott 57th among safeties in 2025; his contract certainly does not suggest locked-in starter, but that looks to be the Panthers’ plan alongside $17MM-per-year safety Tre’von Moehrig for at least one more season.

Cherelus and returning starter Trevin Wallace are competing for the starting ILB job next to Lloyd. Carolina’s first depth chart — as teams will annually tell you, though, these August offerings are highly unofficial — places the incumbent as the starter. Cherelus has primarily been a special-teamer in Carolina, never playing more than 23% of the team’s defensive snaps in a season. PFF ranked Wallace as the NFL’s fifth-worst ILB against the run last season. The Panthers used a third-round pick on Wallace in 2024; this season will determine if the team needs to make a near-future move to complement Lloyd.

While Forsythe is in place as tackle depth, Christensen is back as a second-string guard option. The converted tackle has contributed on the outside, just not in 2025, and could be an emergency option — we are getting close to that status given the issues with Ekwonu and Taylor Moton — if necessary. The Matt Rhule-era third-rounder is coming off an Achilles tear and received full clearance in July.

Notable losses:

• Krys Barnes, ILB
• D’Anthony Bell, S
• Austin Corbett, OL
• Rico Dowdle, RB
• Will Grier, QB (retired)
• Damarri Mathis, CB
• Cade Mays, C
• Yosh Nijman, T (retired)
• LaBryan Ray, DL (retired)
• Hunter Renfrow, WR
• A’Shawn Robinson, DL (released)
• Christian Rozeboom, ILB
• D.J. Wonnum, OLB

In addition to being the subject of one of the most enthusiastic calls for a non-touchdown run in football history, Dowdle usurped Hubbard as the Panthers’ top running back last season. He finished with a remarkably similar season to his 2024 Cowboys campaign. Dowdle totaled 235 carries for 1,079 yards in 2024; he went 236/1,076 last season. A bigger market awaited after a second 1,000-yard year.

Dave Canales demoted Hubbard, despite the former fourth-rounder’s 2024 extension, and Dowdle totaled 519 yards in his first three starts. The late-blooming RB, though, expressed frustration with a usage decline down the stretch. After Dowdle totaled just 19 yards on 12 carries between Week 18 and the wild-card round, voicing frustration about his limited role, the Panthers let him walk.

With Jonathon Brooks on his way back after a second ACL tear in two years and Hubbard’s four-year, $33.2MM extension carrying a $4.5MM guarantee for 2026, Dowdle made sense as a stopgap. He rejoined ex-Cowboys boss Mike McCarthy by signing a two-year, $12.25MM Steelers deal. That marked a career-best contract for Dowdle, who played on a $2.75MM deal with Carolina.

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Mays is probably a more significant free agency loss, as he garnered a nice market after commandeering Carolina’s starting center job. Mays (20 starts from 2024-25) ranked eighth among interior O-linemen in pass block win rate last season. During a season that largely unfolded without Robert Hunt, Mays helped the Panthers’ admittedly inconsistent offense limp along en route to a division title.

The Lions added Mays on a three-year, $25MM deal. Carolina has big money tied to Hunt, Moton and left guard Damien Lewis, making Mays a predictable defection.

The Panthers dangled Robinson in trades but found no takers. A team that paid up to fortify its D-tackle spot over the previous two offseasons — via Derrick Brown‘s big-ticket extension and two midlevel free agency deals for Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown — released Robinson, taking on $2.1MM in dead money. The Panthers had given Robinson a three-year, $22.5MM deal in 2024; he ended up landing an AAV raise as a street free agent, joining the Buccaneers on a one-year, $10MM agreement.

Trades:

• Dealt QB Andy Dalton to Eagles for 2027 seventh-round pick

Even prior to the Panthers signing Pickett, Dalton trade rumors emerged. The team had re-signed the veteran passer to a two-year, $8MM deal in 2025. With a $3.9MM base salary due to Dalton in an age-39 season, Carolina moved on after three years. The Eagles are Dalton’s sixth team.

Best known for his nine-year Bengals stint, Dalton has since played for the Cowboys, Bears, Saints and Panthers. Carolina brought in the former starter to mentor its to-be-determined No. 1 overall pick in 2023, giving him a two-year deal worth $10MM.

Dalton signed up for that setup, soon learning he’d be helping to develop Young. But Canales — not in place as HC when Young was drafted — was given the green light to bench the former top pick after two games in 2024. Young trade rumors followed, and Dalton had the Panthers’ offense moving in a better direction than the then-overmatched Young.

Dalton made five consecutive starts after Young’s quick hook, but injuries sustained in a car accident provided a pathway for the younger player to return. Dalton (169 career starts) only made one more start with the team — for an injured Young in Week 8 of last season — and is now competing with Tanner McKee for the Eagles’ backup job. An Eagles team that regularly utilizes the trade market figures to move either Dalton or McKee, as they drafted North Dakota State’s Cole Payton in Round 5 this year.

Extensions and restructures:

• Agreed to three-year, $34MM extension ($12.5MM guaranteed) with WR Jalen Coker
• Created nearly $14MM in cap space by restructuring DT Derrick Brown‘s contract
• Restructured CB Jaycee Horn‘s deal, creating $13.1MM in cap space

UDFAs are eligible to sign extensions after two years, whereas draftees must wait three. The Panthers took advantage of this exception and paid Coker early, locking the 2024 UDFA in through the 2029 season. Coker has made the unlikely climb from undrafted Holy Cross alum to Carolina’s No. 2 wide receiver, having edged out 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette in making that jump.

While Connor Byrne discussed Legette’s forthcoming make-or-break year, Coker finds himself positioned to be the Panthers’ Tetairoa McMillan sidekick for perhaps the decade’s remainder. Coker began his career on the Panthers’ practice squad, being signed to the 53-man roster midway through the ’24 season. Even as Coker has flashed during his first two seasons, the Panthers are gambling a bit with this deal.

Coker, 24, has played in 22 regular-season games and tallied 872 receiving yards in two years. Upward mobility undoubtedly exists, potentially making this a team-friendly deal in short order, but the Division I-FCS product also did well to score an eight-figure guarantee based on two 11-game seasons.

Posting one 100-yard game over his first two regular seasons, Coker delivered a strong closing statement en route to this extension. He caught nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ narrow loss to the heavily favored Rams in the wild-card round. Coker’s 7-yard TD grab late in the fourth quarter gave Carolina a late lead, requiring a final-minute Matthew Stafford drive to topple.

A backloaded contract structure supports the notion this could be a team-friendly deal soon. The $12.5MM guarantee covers Coker’s $7MM signing bonus and $5.5MM salary guarantees through 2027. However, the two nonguaranteed base salaries on this deal ($6.25MM, $13.75MM) could easily go unpaid if this underdog story fades. With Coker merely an ERFA entering this offseason — thus not eligible for free agency until 2028 — this deal provides a raise and a nice guarantee. But it becomes a pay-as-you-go contract early.

Draft:

• Round 1, No. 19: Monroe Freeling (T, Georgia) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 49 (from Vikings): Lee Hunter (DT, Texas Tech) (signed)
• Round 3, No. 83: Chris Brazzell II (WR, Tennessee) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 129 (from Bears): Will Lee III (CB, Texas A&M) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 144 (from Titans via Panthers): Sam Hecht (C, Kansas State) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 151 (from Dolphins): Zakee Wheatley (S, Penn State) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 227 (from Dolphins): Jackson Kuwatch (LB, Miami, Ohio) (signed)

Day 2 remains a sore spot for the Panthers in recent years. Following Jonathan Mingo‘s no-show as a top-40 pick in 2023, 2024 second-rounder Jonathon Brooks‘ second ACL tear in two years cost him all of the ’25 season. Nic Scourton, chosen in last year’s second round, is out for the upcoming season because of an ACL tear. Brazzell has since suffered an LCL tear, thinning a Panthers receiver cadre that will need better work from Legette in Year 3.

Another health issue has moved Freeling to the forefront. Initially slated to be a swing tackle to open his rookie season, Freeling has been thrust into a starting right tackle role after Taylor Moton‘s blood clot diagnosis moved him to the non-football illness list weeks ago. Before the Moton issue became known, the Panthers did extensive work on tackles heading into the draft. They hosted Kadyn Proctor, Caleb Lomu and Max Iheanachor on “30” visits, and draft week brought a rumor Carolina was firmly in the tackle mix. These breadcrumbs led to an investment in Freeling.

As Ely Allen’s prospect profile on Freeling detailed, Freeling worked as Georgia’s left tackle to close his sophomore season and throughout his 2025 junior year. A top-20 prospect in the view of NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Freeling finished as a second-team All-SECer last season. He then measured 6-foot-7 3/8 at the Combine, bringing additional intrigue to a tackle class that featured its top prospects (Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa) primarily line up at RT in college.

Freeling and Proctor brought LT experience, but neither will begin their NFL careers there (the Dolphins are kicking Proctor to LG). Carolina, which had been frequently sent Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq in mocks, was interested in Proctor as well. The team joined the Lions in showing Proctor interest and taking a different tackle after the Dolphins tabbed Proctor at 12, and aims for a Freeling redshirt year vanished.

Ekwonu opened his career as a starter, while Moton — a 2017 second-rounder — did not move into the starting lineup until his second season. It will be interesting to see how the Panthers proceed once Moton recovers, as a few options — from kicking Freeling to LT, keeping him at RT or benching him — would stand to be in play.

Ties to Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers also emerged, but the Panthers were believed to have medical concerns on the eventual Eagle. Instead, Carolina traded up two spots to nab Hunter. Transferring from Central Florida to Texas Tech in 2025, Hunter was a consistent backfield disruptor at both Big 12 programs. He combined for 31 tackles for loss from 2023-25. Also profiling as one of this draft’s best run defenders, Hunter joins a Panthers defense heavy on DT investments (via the Wharton, Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown contracts) but one that has been without Wharton throughout camp due to an offseason neck surgery.

Brazzell’s LCL tear occurred not long after Scourton’s season-ending injury, and while the initial report on Brazzell’s setback indicated it was a “moderate” tear, surgery unfolded ahead of an IR placement. A non-surgical path was the initial plan, but a second opinion led to surgery and the IR move.

By placing Brazzell on IR before August 30, the Panthers cannot use an IR-return slot on him. The Panthers met with Denzel Boston and Omar Cooper Jr. on “30” visits and were connected to a third straight first-round WR investment, but Brazzell became the play. He will now spend his rookie year rehabbing, removing an insurance piece against Legette not showing Year 3 improvement.

Transferring from Tulane to Tennessee in 2024, Brazzell recorded a 1,000-yard season with the Volunteers in 2025. Josh Heupel’s Vols offense has not been conducive to recent development from QBs or receivers in recent years, as Velus Jones, Cedric Tillman Jr., Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt have failed to justify third-round investments. Brazzell will lose a year of practice time because of this injury, though the Panthers have him under contract through 2029.

Coaching/front office:

• Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik handed play-calling reins
• Hired Darrell Bevell as associate head coach/offensive specialist
• Parted ways with senior advisor/assistant Jim Caldwell
• Pass-game coordinator Jonathan Cooley interviewed for Browns’ DC job
• Jared Kirksey, Justin Davidov respectively promoted to director of player personnel, football administration

Canales vaulted from one-year play-caller (with the 2023 Buccaneers) to a head coaching opportunity. The Panthers were trying to shake a reputation their HC job was undesirable due to owner David Tepper‘s volatility, and they gave Canales a six-year contract four years after Matt Rhule‘s seven-year pact backfired. Canales’ presence has aided Young, but the Panthers have ranked 29th and 27th in total offense in the coach’s two years at the controls. He will pass the play sheet to Idzik, a second-generation NFL staffer.

The son of former Jets GM John Idzik, Brad joins a host of early-30-somethings being given play-calling roles this offseason. While ex-QBs David Blough, Sean Mannion and Davis Webb climbed quickly through the ranks to those gigs (in Washington, Philadelphia and Denver), 30-year-old Declan Doyle is now the point man in Baltimore. Idzik’s ascent has received far less attention compared to those rises, but he joins as a first-time play-caller.

Idzik, 34, came with Canales from Tampa after following him from Seattle to Todd Bowles‘ staff. He jumped from Seahawks assistant wide receivers coach in 2022 — his first year north of the quality control level — to Bucs WRs coach to non-play-calling Panthers OC. Considering this season looks like the one that will give the Panthers an important determination on their future with Young, Canales is taking a risk by stepping into a CEO HC role.

Carolina did hire a veteran voice to assist Idzik, with Bevell (56) having 15 years of OC experience under his belt. The Dolphins employed Bevell as their pass-game coordinator throughout Mike McDaniel‘s tenure.

Other:

• Exercised QB Bryce Young‘s $25.9MM fifth-year option
• Blood clot issue led RT Taylor Moton to active/NFI list
• OLB Nic Scourton suffered ACL tear in late July
• Team expects LT Ikem Ekwonu to play in 2026
• DT Tershawn Wharton out indefinitely after neck surgery
• RB Jonathon Brooks received clearance for offseason program
• Placed G Saahdiq Charles on IR
• Signed 10 UDFAs

Our Panthers Offseason Outlook covered Young’s extension candidacy, reaching the conclusion it was likely better for both sides to wait. Since that time, a report indicated the team would be open to extending Young this year. But it does not look like Young or 2023 No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud will be paid before their fourth seasons. Considering the inconsistencies both have displayed, it makes more sense for both the Panthers and Texans to wait. It also is logical for Young and Stroud to bet on themselves, as the QB market figures to see some big updates between now and the 2027 season.

Morgan said the team was holding internal discussions on a Young extension, but executive VP Brandt Tilis all but confirmed the Panthers would be waiting until 2027 to evaluate this situation. The option provides Young a nice guarantee for the ’27 season, but after a woeful rookie year and modest improvement over the past two seasons, the Panthers are still evaluating their undersized passer.

Stroud’s struggles have at least taken the Panthers off the hook from a Trubisky-over-Mahomes-like mistake. Young followed up his alarming rookie year with 20th- and 22nd-place QBR finishes, but the Panthers will need to see a more reliable version of their QB before entertaining a big-ticket extension. This offseason saw the damages — via the dead money from the Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray deals — overpaying middling-at-best QBs can cause. The Panthers will have a clearer picture of their hopeful franchise QB after the season.

Young entering the season without his starting tackles will not help matters. Moton’s health issue has raised concern about this situation. Adam La Rose’s first post-draft mailbag discussed a potential Panthers tackle surplus, with Walker and Freeling joining a team housing Moton and a rehabbing Ekwonu. Now, the Panthers are depending on Walker and Freeling.

Moton is expected to miss regular-season time due to the blood clot issue. This comes a year after the Panthers gave their reliable RT a two-year, $44MM extension that came with $36.8MM guaranteed at signing. Moton, who turned 32 this week, is tied to guaranteed compensation this year but has no guarantees in 2027. Although Moton said he was not considering retirement when discussing his future before the blood clot diagnosis surfaced, Freeling’s arrival could point to this being the 10th-year vet’s Charlotte finale.

Though, the Panthers’ foggy LT situation could keep Moton in the team’s post-2026 plans. A four-year starter, Ekwonu had sought an extension before suffering a patellar tendon tear in January. Late last season, the team was believed to be interested as well. A return for a chunk of the regular season and exiting the year healthy could transform Ekwonu’s 2027 earning power. He would seemingly be back on the Carolina extension radar with a return to full strength.

PFF ranked Ekwonu 36th among tackles in 2024 and 33rd last season. Seeing as this is a premium position and the team just acquired a rookie-deal tackle, a future in which Ekwonu stays on an extension and Freeling — who could be kept on his rookie deal through 2030 via the fifth-year option — remains at RT makes sense. But we still appear a long way away from that reality.

Brooks received full clearance for Panthers offseason work, and Dowdle’s exit opens the door to regular work behind Hubbard. Brooks suffered ACL tears in consecutive Novembers. The first dropped him off the first-round radar, and while the Panthers traded up for the Texas product in Round 2 two years ago, he has taken nine handoffs as a pro. Brooks is still just 23, but the clock is ticking. The top running back chosen in 2024 needs to avoid injuries this season to position himself for a relevant 2027 contract year.

Evero has been a regular HC and DC interviewee since his Rams run ended in 2022, staying on that level despite never being the DC of a winning team. That is an interesting feat. After Webb dropped out of the Raiders’ HC derby, Evero was believed to be the team’s Klint Kubiak fallback plan. Evero has run into steady misfortune during his five-year DC run; Scourton’s season-ending malady is the latest chapter.

Evero’s 2022 Broncos season — when his unit propped up a shockingly inept Russell Wilson-led offense — vaulted him onto the HC radar. Evero finished that season without Bradley Chubb, whom Denver dealt to Miami at the deadline. The 2024 Panthers did not do a good job replacing Brian Burns; they also lost Derrick Brown for the year in Week 1, Shaq Thompson to a second straight season-ending injury, and FA pickup Josey Jewell has not returned from a 2024 concussion. The end result: a single-season record for points allowed (534).

Carolina had a middling-at-best OLB corps last season, which saw FA signee Patrick Jones go down in October, and the team has since lost Scourton and Wharton. Carolina will hope Jones and 2025 third-rounder Princely Umanmielen can operate as viable Phillips complementary rushers.

Top 10 cap charges for 2026:

1. Robert Hunt, G: $24.3MM
2. Tre’von Moehrig, S: $21.27MM
3. Taylor Moton, RT: $21.1MM
4. Tershawn Wharton, DT: $18.64MM
5. Ikem Ekwonu, LT: $17.56MM
6. Damien Lewis, G: $16.72MM
7. Bryce Young, QB: $12.08MM
8. Derrick Brown, DT: $10.95MM
9. Jaycee Horn, CB: $10.9MM
10. Patrick Jones, OLB: $10.12MM

The good news for the health-plagued Panthers: this is Year 24 for them in the NFC South. That division has shown no signs of a reawakening. While its quartet of teams looks to (again) be vying for one playoff berth, Carolina will assuredly be a factor in the race against other mediocre-looking rosters.

This year will (again) be about Young’s performance, and the Panthers did well to bring in two tackle starters before the summer Moton development. Evero’s defense produced mid-pack rankings without a good pass rush last season; the arrival of Phillips stands to boost the units prospects. The Panthers will not be able to survive many more bad health breaks, and the ones they have already sustained stand to impact Young’s performance. This season will determine if another Carolina QB need surfaces, raising the stakes even in a division where eight or nine wins has has been good enough for first four times over the past five years.