Dan Morgan was a contentious hire. The Carolina Panthers opted to promote from within rather than bring in fresh ideas. Fans believed that hitting the reset button would be more beneficial, especially considering the new general manager was part of the old regime.
Morgan navigated some rough waters. He made tough decisions and put the Panthers on more stable foundations. It took time and there is a lot of hard work ahead, but the front-office leader won over even the biggest skeptics.
Professionalism and purpose replaced chaos and panic. There is stability and team owner David Tepper is staying out of football matters. This allowed Morgan, Dave Canales, and Brandt Tilis to put their ambitious plans for the future into motion. A long road ahead remains before Carolina is discussed among the playoff challengers, but the Panthers are on the right track.
Not every move became a home run. Morgan made mistakes during his baptism of fire. Taking on such a big job didn't exactly have smooth sailing written all over it, but fans are encouraged this is the start of something special after a decade of decay.
Before then, here are the five worst decisions made by Morgan in year one as Panthers general manager.
Worst decisions made by Dan Morgan in year one as Carolina Panthers GM
Carolina Panthers signed Jordan Fuller
One of the biggest decisions Dan Morgan made early on centered on removing established veterans from the equation ahead of time. Experienced safety Vonn Bell became a salary-cap casualty, which raised some eyebrows. The Carolina Panthers had a plan in place to replace him, but it didn't go according to plan.
Jordan Fuller was the man tasked with filling the void. The Super Bowl winner worked with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero previously during their time together on the Los Angeles Rams. Hopes were high this rekindled relationship could provide a much-needed spark to the secondary.
It was an unmitigated disaster. Fuller struggled to find consistency early on before going to injured reserve. The same trend continued when he got back into the lineup, leaving the Panthers with no option other than to make him a healthy scratch down the stretch.
The Panthers thought Fuller could do a job for them. Bell's first year wasn't exactly stellar. However, this also came after Evero completely mismanaged Jeremy Chinn, who signed for the Washington Commanders and became an integral part of their miracle run to the NFC Championship game.
This was a swing and a miss. Fortunately for the Panthers, they didn't give Fuller anything more than a one-year deal.