4 free-agent defensive ends the Carolina Panthers should target in 2023

Carolina Panthers could sign Samson Ebukam

Samson Ebukam is an interesting target for the Carolina Panthers in that the player is in some ways very similar to Brian Burns in terms of playing style.

That isn’t to say that Ebukam is a superstar by any means, far from it. The player has shown promise but only tallied about half of what Burns was able to attain last season, and that was alongside Nick Bosa.

This was, however, the best season out of the defensive end to date and would still be a massive improvement over what the Panthers had last season. The risk in this move lies in the lack of true consistency.

Carolina has repeatedly taken chances on players hoping that they can perform better in a different system and it simply hasn’t worked out for them thus far. A trend that cannot continue if the Panthers want to hit the ground running under Frank Reich.

Should the Panthers even try to take a flyer on a player like Ebukam? The short answer is yes, but it comes with some fairly hefty asterisks.

A move to acquire the services of Ebukam would make sense in a couple of different scenarios and neither of which places the young defensive stud at the top of the priority list. The first situation is where Carolina has no other options available, and the second is that the team has simply run out of money and needs to go cheaper.

That doesn’t mean that Ebukam isn’t a talented player, the skills are there.

The defensive end shows great power and a motor that never seems to quit that pairs with a tenacity that doesn’t let a play end on the ground. The only concern is whether that can translate into the double-digit production that the Panthers need.