Which free-agent wide receivers could the Carolina Panthers in pursuit of boosting their pass-catching options next season?
It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that if a team wants to contend for a championship in today’s NFL, they must excel in throwing the football. That requires proficiency from multiple channels, including quarterback, offensive line, coaching, and wide receivers.
The Carolina Panthers emphatically improved on the offensive line going into the 2022 season and look poised to continue that trajectory. The coaching staff is now comprised of legitimate NFL coaches with schemes and philosophies to match their credentials.
We all know the struggles that this Panthers team has faced at the quarterback position of late. But that seems to be the laser focus of the front office and coaches going into this off-season.
That brings us to the group of pass catchers. D.J. Moore has been ultra-consistent despite getting the exact opposite from his quarterbacks and coaches, Terrace Marshall Jr. has shown real flashes of potential to be the No. 2 receiver, but he’s got to put it together on a regular basis to instill enough confidence going forward.
Laviska Shenault Jr. is interesting, but still relatively one note. And that’s about where it stops, honestly.
The 2023 wide receiver free agent class isn’t a star-studded one, but it’s not without quality players either. With this in mind, here are seven veterans the Panthers might target.
Carolina Panthers could sign Jakobi Meyers
Despite playing in a run-heavy, mundane offense with the New England Patriots, Jakobi Meyers stood out as the clear top talent under Bill Belichick. The wideout put together a nice statistical season in 2022, finishing with 67 receptions, 804 receiving yards, and six touchdowns.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Meyers has the size to play outside. But it’s his versatility and ability to excel from the slot that makes him such a valuable player.
Of his 691 offensive snaps in 2022, he was lined up in the slot for 414 of them. While he’s not a massive yards-after-the-catch threat, the player is clearly a safety blanket for his quarterback.
When targeted, Meyers yielded a 119.6 passer rating and was credited with only one drop in 2022.
Meyers may not provide the speedy and twitchy profile of many slot receivers, but he absolutely would take some defensive focus from D.J. Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr. to allow them to draw better matchups and hopefully produce at even higher levels than they have.
A former North Carolina State player, it would be very fitting to bring Meyers back to the area as a new weapon for the Panthers’ new-look offense. With a market value estimated to be $12.5 million annually, according to Spotrac.com, this could be a realistic option should Carolina desire to bring him on board.
Carolina Panthers could sign Mecole Hardman
Mecole Hardman has the top-end speed to blow the roof off any defense and house just about any pass he catches. When he’s healthy, that is.
Injuries have been the biggest impediment to Hardman’s sustained success during his young career so far. However, there is no denying the threat he provides when on the field.
Registering only 25 receptions for 295 receiving yards last season, Hardman still caught four touchdown passes in the eight games he was able to play in 2022. Having Patrick Mahomes throwing to him obviously doesn’t hurt, either.
Hardman possesses the yards-after-catch ability that is so coveted in the NFL. The wideout averaged 11.9 yards per reception last season, with 6.6 yards coming after the catch while also registering a whopping 142.3 passer rating when targeted.
The former Georgia Bulldog did have two drops in 2022, which doesn’t seem alarming until you put that into context with him having only caught 25 passes. Dropped balls don’t seem to be an overwhelming concern for the speedster, but it’s worth noting that there is a real risk involved with him.
With Spotrac’s market value estimated at $10.3 million annually, Hardman still has plenty of room to grow and improve, as he’s still just shy of 25 years old. The talent is there for the fifth-year receiver, it just needs to coincide with the player’s ability to stay healthy and involved.
Carolina Panthers could sign Parris Campbell
Parris Campbell is another player that makes a lot of sense for the Carolina Panthers. But very similar to Mecole Hardman, injuries have been the most consistent part of his young NFL career.
After being drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Campbell has only played in 32 games during his four-year professional tenure. Seventeen of those came this past season.
Having put together his first full campaign, he obviously enjoyed his finest statistical season to date as well, amassing 63 receptions, 623 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider the quarterback carousel and offensive struggles that the Indianapolis Colts faced in 2022.
There’s also the obvious familiarity that coach Frank Reich would have with Campbell, having coached him at the beginning of last season for the Colts before Jim Irsay hired his buddy Jeff Saturday to play the television role of NFL head coach.
Reich had a front-row view of Campbell’s abilities and value to an offense. So he will know better than any of us if the player is a good fit in Carolina.
Carrying an estimated market value of just $2.5M annually, Campbell could serve as a value-friendly addition to the Panthers in 2023.
Carolina Panthers could sign Robert Woods
Robert Woods was released by the Tennessee Titans and we almost instantly saw a couple of his former teammates suggest he follow their paths to the Carolina Panthers. I think that the biggest question surrounding his potential addition to any NFL team is how much the player has left in the tank.
One season removed from a torn ACL, Woods put together a respectable line of 53 catches for 527 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his one and only season with the Tennessee Titans. The offense was a mess, as well, so that line is probably more impressive than it would be on many other teams.
Woods has a similar versatility as we discussed with Jakobi Meyers earlier, being able to line up inside or out. Although, at this stage of his career, the veteran provides a bit less of the dynamic ceiling he once carried.
One area where Woods would exceed most other free agent wide receiver candidates is his invaluable experience as a long-time NFL starter. He’s been involved in numerous postseason runs, including Super Bowl trips.
When you look at the Panthers roster, it’s undoubtedly young and lacks an abundance of playoff experience. Woods is also a very intelligent football player and has played in the Sean McVay offensive system that is sure to play a part in new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown’s approach.
That knowledge and confidence could play a major role in getting the rest of the receivers and offense up to speed as quickly as possible on terminology and timing. Something that is so imperative to the system’s success.
Carolina Panthers could sign JuJu Smith-Schuster
Perhaps the biggest name on the wide receiver free agent market, JuJu Smith-Schuster would be a welcome addition to the Carolina Panthers offense. Spotrac estimates his market value at $14.6 million per year, so he would also carry a pretty significant financial investment.
Most detractors begin their argument with the fact that Smith-Schuster enjoys posting on social media. Sound the alarm – a 26-year-old enjoys doing 26-year-old-type activities.
I understand the underlying concern is about focusing on the task at hand, being a distraction, and everything else. However, Smith-Schuster was praised by his teammates and coaches from day one during the Super Bowl run for the Kansas City Chiefs for his hard work that helped develop a great rapport with Patrick Mahomes.
On the field, the seventh-year wideout is a nuanced route runner and finds the soft spots on the defense to provide an open target for his quarterback. He accumulated 78 receptions, 933 receiving yards, and three trips to the end zone in 2022.
He was deployed in a myriad of ways for the Chiefs, lining up in the slot on 358 of his 892 registered offensive snaps last season. This versatility could come in handy for the Panthers.
Prior to his injury-ravaged 2021, Smith-Schuster was looked at as a very promising young receiver. Now with undeniable experience and knowing what it takes to win, he should be a welcome addition to any NFL offense that is fortunate enough to employ his services.
Carolina Panthers could sign D.J. Chark
Adding another D.J. to the receiver room? I wouldn’t hate it.
D.J. Chark has experienced a wide range of output so far in his professional career. A former second-round pick in 2018 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, he enjoyed a breakout sophomore season in 2019 en route to 73 receptions for 1,008 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Missing a handful of games due to injuries, he dropped back a bit in 2020 with a 53-706-5 stat line. Chark then suffered a season-ending ankle fracture in 2021 after just four games.
He signed with the Detroit Lions prior to the 2022 season and turned in a decent campaign, albeit through injuries again. Chark concluded the campaign with 30 catches for 502 receiving yards and three scores.
At 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds, Chark provides a different threat to an offense, as more of a vertical big-play receiver, supported by his career average of 14.4 yards per reception. Speed is something that an opposing defense just cannot ignore when trying to gameplan.
With his speed and big play capabilities, Chark would be an interesting fit in Frank Reich and Thomas Brown’s offense. With an estimated market value of $9.5 million per year, the Carolina Panthers could explore that fit this off-season.
Carolina Panthers could sign Brandon Powell
Brandon Powell will be the least recognizable name on this list of free-agent wide receiver candidates for the Carolina Panthers. However, that doesn’t mean he’s the least recognizable to the coaches – specifically Thomas Brown.
Powell is a Swiss army knife type of player that Brown got familiar with as both were members of the Los Angeles Rams. An undrafted free agent originally signed by the Detroit Lions in 2018, the weapon spent the last two seasons in the California sunshine, racking up 24 receptions for 156 receiving yards and no touchdowns in 2022.
The wideout’s value as an NFL player has mostly been as a special teams contributor thus far in his career. Serving as the return man on punts and kickoffs, he’s returned 49 punts and 57 kickoffs through four seasons, including a 61-yard punt return touchdown in 2021.
He also saw the most work in offensive sets of his career in 2022. To go along with his 24 catches, Powell also rushed the ball 17 times for 80 rushing yards.
The Panthers have tried several combinations to fill that role without tremendous success. Raheem Blackshear and Laviska Shenault Jr. would currently hold those positions, one would assume, but Powell would project to immediately slide into the gig should he be signed.