3 free agent guards the Panthers could sign post-NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers opted not to take an offensive lineman in the 2020 NFL Draft, but which free agents are still available for the franchise.

It was something of a surprise the Carolina Panthers did not draft an offensive guard during the NFL Draft. The organization focused heavily on the defensive side of the ball and now looks especially thin on options on the interior.

This was an area of significant need after the Panthers traded Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for veteran left tackle Russell Okung.

Carolina did sign John Miller on a one-year, $4 million deal from the Cincinnati Bengals. But it remains to be seen whether he can fill the void left by Turner in 2020.

There are plenty of free agent guards still on the market that could help the Panthers next season. One complication in their pursuit of any new recruit would be their lack of salary cap space. The organization has $48.1 million in dead cap money, which is comfortably the largest in the NFL.

They will need to make a move in this area to get the most out of their new offensive players. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is not the most mobile of signal-callers following his serious knee injury and the more interior protection he receives, the better his chances of making a real go of things in Carolina.

All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey would also welcome some improved play from the guard position as he looks to build on a 2019 campaign that earned him a new four-year extension that made him the highest-paid at the position in NFL history.

Here are some free-agent options that could help the Panthers in 2020.