5 free agents that could help the Panthers immediately after 1-2 start
By Dean Jones
Which available free agents could immediately help the Carolina Panthers following their 1-2 start to the 2022 season?
At long last, the Carolina Panthers finally won a regular-season game. It was more than a calendar year since their last success at Bank of America Stadium, but Matt Rhule’s men finally got their campaign on track with a deserved triumph over the New Orleans Saints thanks in no small part to an outstanding defensive display.
This was a step in a positive direction, but no more than that. The Panthers have a lot of work to do and some tricky games upcoming as we rapidly head into the midway point of 2022, but more might be needed within certain positional groups based on what we’ve seen so far.
As the old saying goes, one swallow doesn’t make a summer. But they do have $10.4 million in salary-cap space remaining to acquire reinforcements if the right opportunity presents itself.
With this in mind, here are five free agents that could immediately help the Panthers after three weeks of the season.
Free-Agent No. 1
Carolina Panthers could target Sheldon Richardson
Things are still precarious on the defensive front. The Carolina Panthers aren’t blessed with great depth behind the starters, which became weaker when Bravvion Roy went to the injured/reserve list.
Relying on Phil Hoskins, Marquan McCall, and Daviyon Nixon is risky given their lack of experience, although the latter duo performed well in Week 3. Looking at the available options, there’s little doubt someone like Sheldon Richardson could assist this unit in the short term.
Richardson remains on the free-agent scrap heap, which is surprising considering how well he performed for the Minnesota Vikings in parts last season. Much would depend on how the player is from a conditioning standpoint, but his versatility and proven production could be an asset.