Carolina Panthers: Letting Daryl Williams walk is a bold decision
The Carolina Panthers and Williams are likely to part ways.
The Carolina Panthers and right tackle Daryl Williams will probably not be together next season. According to a report from Jordan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, the Panthers and Williams are still far apart in contract negotiations. This is a situation that has been going on since last June. Although the negotiations have been positive according to the Observer, Williams is likely to test the open market.
Who would be potential suitors for Williams? According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, there are a couple teams interested in his services to this point. The Buffalo Bills and New York Giants are two of the prominent teams vying for Williams. He also notes that the price tag for Williams “has soared above where the Panthers are likely able to match.” Bottom line is, Williams wants to get paid.
More from Cat Crave
- Ranking the top-five QB prospects the Panthers could draft in 2023
- 4 remaining Carolina Panthers cap crunches after Damien Wilson release
- Could Duce Staley help Carolina Panthers land Jamaal Williams in 2023?
- How much could the Carolina Panthers afford to offer Lamar Jackson?
- 4 Panthers rumors to emerge from 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
What does this mean for the Carolina Panthers going forward? For starters, it means that the right tackle position as Taylor Moton’s now. After an impressive 2018 season, he looks to build off that. This was going to be one of the more curious issues had Williams chosen to resign with the Panthers. it would have been interesting to see the right tackle position play out over the course of training camp.
Time will tell if this is a smart move on the part of Carolina. I personally am conflicted by their decision. On one hand, Williams is a former All-Pro tackle and has shown he can be one of the most dependable tackles in the game when healthy. On the other hand, he is undoubtedly going to want a lot of money off an injury-plagued season. The Carolina Panthers need to improve their team in several ways this offseason, and that money can certainly go elsewhere.
One of the bigger risks that I see with not signing Williams however, is on the off chance that Mouton regresses. I am not saying that he well, and my point of view has always been that he will improve in 2019. However, should an injury occur or should Mouton struggle, this could put the Panthers in a bit of a bind. Time will tell if Williams will be an effective player this season for whomever he signs for. We at least have last season to go with the assumption that Mouton will be good in 2019.
This is the cost of business. Daryl Williams was undoubtedly a good player and will be missed for his talents. Maybe both the Panthers and Williams can reach an agreement before free agency but I don’t see that happening. Thank you for everything Daryl, hopefully we’ll see you on another sideline soon.