December 9, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) runs with the ball after a pass reception against the San Diego Chargers during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Smith is entering the season as a 33 year old receiver. He is still one of the leagues premiere wide outs, but realistically we must begin the search for his replacement. Wallace could be that man. His acquisition would allow Smith to take a role he has been wanting for some time now. Smith has wanted to become more of a secondary target. With Steve Smith as a secondary receiver several things would be accomplished. Let’s take a look at what some of those may be.

Smitty would be required to run less “go” or vertical routes. Wallace is often thought of as the fastest receiver in the league. Wallace would be the primary receiver on deep routes. The middle of the field and the underneath routes would open up for Smith. He could then utilize his run after catch ability. Another benefit for the team would be Smith could act as a mentor to the young Wallace. Mike Wallace has great potential but during his time in Pittsburgh he didn’t jell with the rest of the team. I think the year he held out really displeased the ownership and coaching staff as well as teammates. Holding out is just not the Steelers way. Smith, who during a time or two had found himself in less than favorable situations with teammates, could be an example to Wallace of what it takes to be a team leader and a true professional football player. and lastly the presence of Mike Wallace would certainly extend the career of Steve Smith too. Wallace is only coming into his 5th season as a pro, so he has lots of tread left on his tires. The slightly reduced role Smith would take could allow him an additional year or two of significant contribution to the Panthers organization.

With Wallace on the roster the Panthers would instantly have one of the leagues most potent offenses and Cam Newton would have one of the best receiving corps in the entire NFL. Just think, Smith, Wallace, Olsen, Lafell, and Murphy as your main receivers! That does not include any of the backs like Stewart or Tolbert as receivers coming out of the backfield. Newton would have a very impressive arsenal of receivers to utilize.  The play calling would be very interesting for Mike Shula with all those weapons. I wonder if there would be enough footballs to go around and keep everyone happy?

Dec 22, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (89) catches a touchdown as Oakland Raiders free safety Joselio Hanson (23) defends in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Yes there are many logistics that must be dealt with in order for this to take place. The initial steps have been taken with Stewart restructuring his contract and being willing to do so less that a year after signing said contract. I would like to think Beason and Williams would be willing to do the same in order to keep the team together and to allow for the acquisition of a difference maker like Mike Wallace to be brought on board. All that being said even with the a fore mentioned players being willing to renegotiate their contracts, the Panthers may still not be able to offer Wallace as much money as say the Dolphins or another franchise that has more cap room and is willing to make Wallace a higher offer. As far as surrounding himself with talent however I believe Wallace would be hard pressed to find a better team than what the Carolina Panthers have to offer.

As Panther fans we could only hope and pray this will happen.

God Bless!

Follow me on Twitter @JoeRiollano

Anderson has played five seasons in the NFL, four with the Browns and one with the Cardinals, before they released him earlier this offseason. Anderson struggled mightly last season with the Cardinals  and was benched late in the season for John Skelton after throwing just seven touchdowns compared to ten interceptions  in 12 games.

Anderson’s career is very unusual. The 6’6 quarterback is basically a one year wonder when he threw for 29 touchdowns and have an 82.5 passer rating in 2007, leading the Browns to a 10-6 record, all of which was under now Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. But since Anderson has never been able to rediscover that magic, throwing only 19 touchdown passes in the next three seasons compared to 28 interceptions.

And we can’t write a whole post without mentioning the classic Anderson tirade on Monday night football.If you have not seen this please take the time to watch it, trust me it is worth it. It for me ranks up there with the Denny Green and Allen Iverson blow ups. Here it is….

Derek Anderson Blow Up

Anyway, this is very interesting news. I feel like Anderson is more of a quarterback that could come in and start unlike many of the guys mentioned, Delhomme and Bulger, who would be more mentors to Newton and Clausen, than actual legit starting quarterback candidates.

More so than any of the recent offseasons, this free agency period is critical for the Panthers and where this team is going in the next five years. The Panthers have always stressed that they love to build through the draft and then sign its players long term. This offseason will test that theory.

As of right now, the Panthers have five big name players that will be free agents, all who have played critical roles on this team since arriving. These players are defensive end Charles Johnson, running back DeAngelo Williams, cornerback Richard Marshall and linebackers Thomas Davis and James Anderson.

So lets go through and break down these players each separately starting first with the easiest one, Thomas Davis.

Thomas Davis, Outside Linebacker:

• Age: 28, 6 seasons with the Panthers, 54 starts, 390 tackles, 11 sacks and 3 interceptions
  

I expect without a doubt for Thomas Davis to return. He has mentioned over the course of the offseason he has had talks with the front office and there is mutual interest from both parties for him to return. No to mention he will come relatively cheap due to his back to back knee injuries that have sidelined him for most of the past two seasons.

Getting a healthy Thomas Davis back will be crucial for this team. Since arriving in Carolina as the first round pick in 2005 out of Georgia, Davis has continually improved his game as he made the transition from safety to linebacker and that showed two seasons ago. Prior to his ACL tear in week eight of the 2009 season, Davis was having his best season in his career, racking up 61 tackles and 2 interceptions through his first seven games. So if Davis can get back to his pre-injury form of 2009, he will give this defense a huge boost.

• Verdict: Resigns with the Panther

James Anderson, Outside Linebacker:

• Age: 27, 5 seasons with the Panthers, 25 starts, 236 tackles, 6 sacks and 5 forced fumbles

While we are talking about linebackers lets get to James Anderson. After playing special teams and spot starting for most of his first four seasons, Anderson was thrust into the starting role when Davis went down in 2009. He finished the season strong with 65 tackles and carried that over into last season. Anderson was one of the few real bright spots defensively for the Panthers last season as he finished with a team high 130 tackles, while tying for second in sacks and forced fumbles.  Anderson is a solid coverage linebacker who seems to have a knack for the finding the ball.

The Panthers lack a lot of depth in the linebacker position after Anderson, Davis and Jon Beason and by locking him up, he would give the Panthers one of the more formidable linebacker groups in the NFL. If the price is right I believe that Anderson comes back, but if some team goes out and overpays for him, giving him a Will Witherspoon esque contract, the Panthers won’t reach and will let him walk. But expect him to be back in the black and blue next season.

• Verdict: Resigns with the Panthers

Charles Johnson, Defensive End

• Age: 25, 5 seasons with the Panthers, 20 starts, 114 tackles, 21 sacks and 4 forced fumbles

In my opinion, Johnson is the most important player for the Panthers this offseason. I thought that the Panthers front office should have used the franchise tag on him earlier in the offseason instead of center Ryan Kalil because of what he did for the defensive line last year and because he will be such a sought after commodity in free agency. Johnson is the only threat the Panthers have on the defensive line as he lead the team in sacks last season with 11.5, the next closest Panther defensive player had 3.5.

Johnson is still very young, is huge and seems to be coming into his own and I believe his best seasons are in front of him. If I am Marty Hurney, I am throwing a huge seven year deal at Johnson to lock him up but I don’t even know if that will be enough. Johnson is from Hawkinville, Ga., went to Georgia University and the Falcons are suppose to be a big suitor for Johnson’s talents. I do think that is strictly a two team race for Johnson between the Falcons and Panthers, but I think the hometown allure gives the Falcons the edge right now. One thing is for sure, if the Panthers lose out on Johnson, defensive end will keeping become a top priority for Hurney in free agency, but lets hope it doesn’t come to that.

• Verdict: Signs with the Atlanta Falcons

DeAngelo Williams, Running Back

• Age: 28, 5 seasons with the Panthers, 37 starts, 4,211 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns

DeAngelo Williams is the most interesting free agent the Panthers have and arguably the toughest decision the Panthers will have to make. The positives, Williams is the team’s all-time leading rusher and one of the top running backs in the league when healthy. He has a unique combination of speed and power where in one single play he can break a couple tackles then simply out run the rest of the defense for a touchdown.  Also, as we know you can never have to many running backs. Williams and teammate Jonathan Stewart are the best one-two punch in the league and can take over a games at times and are crucial to keeping both rested and fresh throughout the whole season. However, Williams will be expensive. He will be highly sought after by teams looking for running backs, such as Miami and Tampa Bay, and the Panthers have a surplus. Stewart is more than capable of carrying the main load and Mike Goodson has shown some flashes, especially working as a third-down back.

I love DeAngelo Williams, he has been on of my favorite Panthers over the last few years but the more I think about it, the more I convince myself it may be smarter to let him go rather then sign him to a huge deal. The one key factor is age. We all know running backs start to fall apart rapidly once they hit the age of 30 and Williams has a ton of mileage on him. At Memphis he carried the ball 969 times and set the NCAA’s all-time mark for all-purpose yards with 7,573 yards. Couple that with 841 carries with the Panthers, means Williams has taken some hits and there is a chance he may start to break down. So as much as it pains me to say it, the smart move may be allowing Williams to walk.

• Verdict: Let Williams walk

Richard Marshall, Cornerback

• Age: 26, 5 seasons with the Panthers, 46 starts, 423 tackles, 14 interceptions, 44 pass defends and 5 sacks

Since arriving in 2005 Richard Marshall as been a solid player for the Panthers. He has come to work every week and played well, just not well enough to be paid the money he will most likely be demanding. Marshall and the Panthers have seem to be at ends though it has never be officially reported, after Marshall went two straight seasons as a restricted free agent without being offered a better deal and he didn’t seem to like that very much.

Marshall has been important piece of the Panthers secondary over the years starting and playing the nickel position but I think the Panthers can do better at roughly the same price. They already have Chris Gamble, who I believe will bounce back under the new coaching staff, and Captain Munnerlyn. I think due to Munnerlyn’s size he is better suited at playing the nickel position, so if Marshall does leave the Panthers will need to address this position, possibly Bengals corner Jonathan Joseph, who has some Carolina ties. But in my opinion, most likeley Marshall is gone.

• Verdict: Marshall walks

There are a few other players that the Panthers will have to make decisions on outside of these five players. These players include Jeff King, Matt Moore, Dante Rosario and others but I don’t see those deals as being as important. With the signing of Jeremy Shockey, I think King is expendable but I do think Rosario will return. Playing under new offensive coordinator Rod Chudzinski, who values the tight end, should interest Rosario. When former coach John Fox was here, he didn’t really like the tight end to do anything but block. However, under this new coaching staff expect the tight end to be an integral part of the offense, which I think will be enough to keep Rosario here.

So as you can see, GM Marty Hurney is going to have a busy few days once negotiations open up and that is just dealing with his own players. So lets all hope Hurney has a game plan and is ready for the challenge that lies ahead of him.

Check back later this week for a look at possible free agents that Panthers may be targeting.