Carolina Panthers can have the best QB situation
Tom Brady has finally retired and the Carolina Panthers should be rejoicing.
Brady has won the NFC South two times in his three seasons as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback. The legendary signal-caller also secured a Super Bowl in the lone year he did not secure divisional success.
With his absence and following the Buccaneers’ struggles in 2022, Tampa Bay may find themselves hard-pressed to find a replacement of his caliber. Currently, only Kyle Trask is under contract for next season.
The New Orleans Saints are also light at quarterback. In their case, just Jameis Winston and Jake Luton are under contract for 2023.
Andy Dalton turned in some admirable moments, but the team could turn back to Winston in hopes to land a better draft pick for 2024 to find their quarterback of the future. Light draft capital and an always shaky cap situation should take New Orleans off the market for a high-quality man under center this spring.
Desmond Ridder looks to be the top option for the Atlanta Falcons entering 2023. After taking the reigns from Marcus Mariota, the second-year pro looks to further develop his game and prove that he can be the future.
The second quarterback taken off the board in 2023, Ridder is a very raw prospect on a team with many needs on both offense and defense. The Falcons could go for a quarterback in the draft, but it’s more plausible they just run it back with their current options.
This leaves Carolina, who holds the No. 9 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Panthers currently only have Matt Corral and Jacob Eason under contract for next season and neither seems to be the best option.
As an offensive mind, Frank Reich will most likely want to select and develop his own quarterback. Eason is a backup that only saw time in 2023 due to injury including Corral who suffered a devastating Lisfranc injury.
As of right now, Carolina has the eighth-best draft value. Of the seven teams ahead of them, only the Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders find themselves in need of a signal-caller.
The Panthers can make a move and find themselves at the top of the draft to select the future of the franchise. This will increase their chances of winning the NFC South exponentially.