Dan Morgan was aggressive this offseason. The general manager promised as much, especially when it came to fixing the woeful Carolina Panthers' defense. He was a man of his word.
The Panthers wasted no time in fortifying the defensive issues that blighted their efforts during the previous campaign. Losing out on Milton Williams was a blow after the New England Patriots came over the top with an offer Morgan didn't want to match. However, the front-office leader deserves credit for pivoting accordingly to rectify some glaring complications.
Carolina had to spend, which is typically the case for struggling teams in small markets, to get its preferred targets. Things look more promising now, which piles more pressure on defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero now that he has the tools to implement his 3-4 base concepts effectively.
With the possibility of some more instant difference-makers arriving via the 2025 NFL Draft, it's been another encouraging offseason for the Panthers. If the free-agent signings all meet the expected requirements, Carolina could become one of the league's surprise packages next time around.
On this topic, here are five Panthers off-season additions who can outperform their pay grade in 2025.
Carolina Panthers offseason additions who could outperform their pay grade in 2025
Sam Martin - Carolina Panthers P
- 2025 salary-cap hit: $1.6 million
The Carolina Panthers lost All-Decade punter Johnny Hekker in free agency. Whether they wanted to keep him around hasn't been determined, but the offer he received from the Tennessee Titans was probably more than Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis were willing to pay when push came to shove.
Carolina acted swiftly to find Hekker's replacement. The Panthers signed Sam Martin to a one-year deal, who Morgan believes can provide a nice stopgap. This is nothing more than a short-term fix, but one that can help maintain a sense of stability where the special teams unit is concerned.
Martin's numbers were pretty solid last season despite his advancing years. He averaged 46.7 yards per punt with 46.3 percent of his punts going inside the 20-yard line. These were both considerably higher than his career averages, which proves he's got a lot of good football left.
Compared to Hekker, who had a yards per punt average of 45.7 with 32.9% inside the 20, it's not hard to see why the Panthers identified Martin as a more cost-effective solution to the punting position.
This could be money well spent when it's all said and done.