Carolina Panthers should be cautious with Daryl Williams

The Carolina Panthers may have to navigate a tricky situation in the near future.

I’ll admit, I’m a little bit torn about a certain member of the Carolina Panthers. Daryl Williams, like many other members of the team, is set to be a free agent this offseason. As we all know, he has blossomed into one of the best offensive lineman in the National Football League. However, coming off an injury, is he worth mega money on a new contract?

As many Panthers fans, known , Williams has had tremendous success, particularly in the 2017 season. He started in all 16 games that year, collecting Associated Press and Pro Football Focus Second Team honors. However, injuries that derailed him beginning at the start of training camp really put a damper on the rest of his 2018 season. He was never able to get to his usual form. From his perspective, that was certainly not ideal going into a year where he is expecting a new contract.

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Alas, this is where I am a bit torn. Should the Carolina Panthers give him a significant salary raise on his new contract? On the other side of the coin, would it be too risky to give a player coming off an injury that type of money? Tim Weaver of PanthersWire.com also pondered this question on Sunday. In particular, one section of his argument really stood out to me.

"However, if there’s a middle ground between the team and Williams, it might be a one-year deal at market value. That would give Williams a chance to show that his knee is healthy again and that his 2017 season was an indicator of things to come rather than a one-hit wonder."

I like that idea. Would Williams go for it? That is a different story. If Williams does not agree to a one-year contract and makes the Panthers either give him a long-term deal or let him walk, that certainly puts the organization in a tough position. I could see either situation happening, you never know when it comes to free agency.

My gut reaction is that the Panthers should let him walk if he will not accept anything less than a one or two- year deal. The 2019 draft class is filled with a bunch of offensive lineman that could help the Panthers right away. That may be better than risking a ton of money and a lengthy contract on a guy coming off injury. As Weaver notes, just look at Matt Kalil. Carolina is now stuck with that contract whether they like it or not.

With the organization having the 16th overall pick, that allows for them to have some flexibility on the offensive line. Especially in a draft slot where offensive lineman are not commonly picked, they could have a choice of some pretty good lineman. That is one of their more pressing needs, so it would not be unusual in this case for them to pick a lineman in that spot. If they do, I don’t think many Panthers fans would be upset.

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I really like Williams as a player. I’m just not sure if he is worth the money coming off injury. There is no doubt he had a great season in 2017. He deserves to get paid, but the circumstances as they stand right now are not in his favor. Anything less than a one-year “prove it” deal and Carolina should feel comfortable letting him walk.

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