Dan Morgan had a big job on his hands heading into a critical recruitment period for the Carolina Panthers. One NFL analyst believes a significant positive is starting to emerge above all else after a busy fortnight.
Nobody expected Morgan to sit on his hands this offseason. The Panthers were more competitive over the second half of 2024, but their defense held them back considerably. Ejiro Evero didn't have the personnel to deploy his 3-4 base scheme effectively. The coordinator also didn't have enough viable depth to offset some major injuries and the entire team suffered.
The results spoke for themselves. Morgan took accountability after transferring his primary investments to the offensive side of the football during his first offseason. He made no secret of his intent to swing the pendulum this time around.
Carolina set its stall out almost immediately after the legal tampering window opened. The Panthers acquired some notable reinforcements in the trenches, one of the best safeties on the open market, and help in their edge-rushing room. They bolstered linebacker depth and extended two of the few shining lights from 2024 for good measure.
Carolina Panthers' defensive regeneration named as obvious positive by NFL analyst
Things look a lot more promising now. Evero will have no excuses not to improve his defense next season, especially considering the Panthers will likely add more explosiveness during the 2025 NFL Draft. Any further failings won't be tolerated. Any major improvements could see Carolina enter the NFC South title picture.
This was a topic discussed by Dalton Wasserman from Pro Football Focus. The analyst highlighted the defensive regeneration as the one positive takeaway Panthers fans have from the team's offseason exploits so far. However, he acknowledged that genuine star power is lacking aside from Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn.
"The Panthers reportedly flirted with signing Milton Williams before being outbid by New England. After that, they turned to signing several competent starters and paying their starting cornerback duo. Tershawn Wharton, Patrick Jones II and Bobby Brown III should improve the league’s lowest-graded defensive line from a year ago. Christian Rozeboom and Tre'von Moehrig should stabilize the middle of the defense. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson will return as the starting cornerbacks. The Panthers still need more star power, which could be acquired in the draft, but their defense is poised to be more functional than in 2024."Dalton Wasserman
Being more functional would be a massive positive. The Panthers were anything but last season after conceding the most single-season points in NFL history and more than 3,000 rushing yards. Drastic action was needed, and Morgan deserves credit for acting with conviction to improve every defensive level.
It's not the finished product, not by a long shot. Morgan must also add another weapon or two for quarterback Bryce Young, although there's a growing sense that they're confident in the options available right now. Everyone's got an opinion of which prospect the Panthers will take at No. 8 overall, but the consensus suggests it'll be another defender regardless of position.
If the offense can maintain their newly acquired momentum, Young continues to flourish in his crucial third season and Evero's defense holds up their end of the bargain, the Panthers might be onto something in 2025.