Grading the previous five eventful Carolina Panthers offseasons
By Luke Tucker
Carolina Panthers 2018 offseason grade: C+
Fortunately for the Carolina Panthers, they didn’t agree to any disastrous deals in 2018 as they did the year prior.
Dontari Poe and C.J. Anderson were viewed as the biggest splash signings at the time. However, the running back didn’t see much playing time as Christian McCaffrey emerged, and the veteran defensive tackle wasn’t as consistent as the team had hoped he would be.
Jarius Wright was easily the most impactful non-draft acquisition of 2018, coming over from the Minnesota Vikings via free agency. Entering camp, the wide receiver wasn’t a lock to even make the roster, but he proved to be a solid pickup.
He finished the season with 43 catches for 447 yards and a touchdown, far outpacing the production of trade acquisition Torrey Smith. Luckily the Panthers only had to give up embattled corner Daryl Worley to get Smith, which helps to save this offseason.
Outside of Wright, Poe was really the only other free-agent signing that had much positive impact. Eric Reid played well at times, but he wasn’t signed until after the regular season had already begun.
Anderson was released midway through the campaign, while defensive backs Da’Norris Searcy and Ross Cockrell were severely limited by injuries, playing in only two combined games.
Like in 2017, though, a fairly good draft saves this offseason from tanking. A year after taking McCaffrey in the first round, Carolina landed D.J. Moore in 2018, who led all wide receivers with 778 yards as a rookie and has since totaled at least 1,200 yards of offense each year.
There were initially some concerns that the Panthers made a mistake taking Moore over Calvin Ridley. But he has proven to be just as good, if not better, than the former Alabama star.
The Panthers also selected cornerback Donte Jackson in 2018, who has proven to be a quality player when healthy. Tight end Ian Thomas and linebacker Jermaine Carter were also picked in the same draft and have both contributed to the team, as has Marquis Haynes.
In fact, over the past two seasons, both Thomas and Carter have started more than 20 games.
Outside of Moore and Jackson, Marty Hurney and Ron Rivera didn’t exactly bring in anyone who made a huge splash during this offseason, resulting in their exceptionally average offseason grade.