Dan Morgan needed to do something drastic in free agency. The Carolina Panthers have plenty of problems, but none more than their woeful defense. Attempting to fix it with proven performers from the veteran pool was the only likely option.
That came to fruition soon after the legal tampering window began. The Panthers were aggressive in pursuit of finding the right players. They might have missed out on prolific defensive lineman Milton Williams after a late swoop from the New England Patriots, but Morgan will no doubt be thrilled with the acquisitions over a frantic few days.
How they fit into Ejiro Evero's system is the difficult part. The defensive coordinator got the benefit of the doubt for a historically bad campaign from his unit in 2024. Now Morgan believes the right pieces are in place with the promise of more during the 2025 NFL Draft, there are no more excuses.
Carolina Panthers give acceptable grade for free agency moves in 2025
Tyler Sullivan, Garrett Podell, and Jordan Dajani from CBS Sports gave the Panthers a B grade for their early forges into the free-agent frenzy. the defensive improvements formed their primary thoughts, but the addition of running back Rico Dowdle is an overlooked signing that the analysts believe will help enormously.
"The Panthers were busy on Day 1 of free agency, primarily addressing the defense side of the ball. They brought aboard defensive end Patrick Jones along with defensive tackles Bobby Brown and Tershawn Wharton, which should bolster a defense that gave up the most yards per play (6.0) in the NFL last season. Safety Tre'Von Moehrig also helps in that regard in the secondary, which will continue to have Jaycee Horn in it after he agreed to a massive extension with the club. Carolina was able to sign the top remaining free agent running back Rico Dowdle away from the Dallas Cowboys for the low cost of a one-year deal worth up to $6.25 million to form an efficient rushing tandem alongside Chuba Hubbard."CBS Sports analysts
There is still work to do from Morgan's perspective. The Panthers put themselves in a better position, especially with so many draft picks to find immediate difference-makers and bolster depth, but this is far from a complete roster just yet.
Carolina still needs to find a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver for quarterback Bryce Young. Another pass-catching tight end wouldn't hurt despite re-signing Tommy Tremble. Finding an explosive defensive chess piece similar to Frankie Luvu following his departure last spring would offer something different from what's available right now. And no team can ever have enough good cornerbacks.
The Panthers are better today than they were this time last week. That's all fans could ask for. With a few more notable acquisitions between now and when the 2025 campaign arrives, who knows what Carolina might be able to accomplish in Year 2 under head coach Dave Canales.