Panthers offseason preview: Help needed all over, starting at receiver

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

With new leadership in place with head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan, where now does the Carolina Panthers’ roster rebuild truly begin?

Carolina had the worst record in the NFL at 2-15, ranking in the bottom four in points scored and points allowed, so there’s room for immediate improvement all over the field. Without a first-round draft pick, with limited salary-cap flexibility, the question is how they can effectively take steps forward in 2024 toward fielding a team that can compete for a winning record and return to the playoffs.

What do they do with edge rusher Brian Burns, one of the most coveted free agents at any position? How do they best help quarterback Bryce Young improve? How will the offensive priorities change under Canales and new offensive coordinator Brad Idzik? The way these questions are answered in the next two months — in free agency in March and the draft in April — will go a long way toward knowing how much better Carolina can be in the first year of a new chapter.

The Panthers have about $30 million in cap space right now, and they can add to that with restructures, but many of their contracts are already reworked, making it harder to move on from underperforming players. Many of last year’s free agent additions got a second year guaranteed, making it harder to move on from players like running back Miles Sanders, tight end Hayden Hurst, safety Vonn Bell and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle.

Their offseason starts with Burns, still only 25 but not close to a long-term extension. After making the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022, he didn’t this past season, managing eight sacks with similar pressure rates. The most logical outcome is to tag-and-trade him — sign him to the franchise tag at $21.9 million and trade him for draft picks, giving the team more flexibility and draft assets to make this roster younger and more in line with the new regime….

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Publish date : 2024-02-16 16:02:17

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