5 wide receivers Carolina Panthers could sign to replace Diontae Johnson in 2025

Carolina Panthers could sign Dyami Brown

Carolina Panthers fans must be looking at what's unfolding for the Washington Commanders with envy. This is how a team rebuilds. They stripped everything down, enhanced the infrastructure, hired a culture builder as head coach, and have an owner on the fringes of football matters who has no trouble providing any support needed.

This is the exact opposite of how David Tepper's done things and the results speak for themselves. The new regime might get more time, but it remains to be seen how things will shake out.

Dyami Brown is someone who could be considered when 2025 free agency arrives. The wideout is no stranger to Panthers fans after starring for North Carolina before becoming a third-round selection. He's flashed moments of promise but remains far down the pecking order in Washington. Offering him a decent role in familiar surroundings would be an enticing proposition.

Brown has every athletic intangible needed to become more impactful. It hasn't happened as yet, but this is the sort of realistic signing the Panthers should be looking at when the next recruitment process begins.

Carolina Panthers could sign Darius Slayton

Darius Slayton is another player being impacted by his environment. The pass-catcher has the tools and the vertical speed needed to be a highly productive wide receiver. His numbers are solid enough, but New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones' ongoing inconsistency is holding him and the team back.

Slayton could use his pending free agency in 2025 to get away from the Giants and secure a new challenge elsewhere. This would be a little pricier than other names on this list, but he'd instantly become a key cog in Carolina's offensive strategy within Dave Canales' scheme.

The former fifth-round pick out of Auburn will be 28 years old by the time free agency rolls around, so giving him a multi-year deal represents a sound long-term investment. Whether he'd see Carolina as a viable destination is anyone's guess. Much like any productive player, struggling teams like the Panthers always have to overpay in a small market.

Diontae Johnson's time in Carolina won't be remembered with any great fondness. It was a risk worth taking, even if nothing went well. Removing him from the equation is all well and good, but the Panthers better have a plan in place to get this downtrodden franchise on the right path.

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