Free agency is fast approaching for the Carolina Panthers as they begin to make preparations following the NFL Scouting Combine. And it is expected to be a wild week to start the new league year.
General manager Dan Morgan is looking to be aggressive in free agency as he targets key positions of need on the roster. Once new players are signed, the focus returns to the NFL Draft, where the options narrow and a clearer picture of who could be the Panthers' first-round pick emerges.
As the Panthers look to be the aggressors on the open market, one thing is for sure: they are not afraid to swing big. The signings of Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis were the first major statements by Morgan, and Carolina almost signed defensive lineman Milton Williams before the price became too high for the team's liking.
If Carolina is to make a splash this offseason, look no further than an ascending linebacker who might be testing the market after all.
Devin Lloyd could be the missing piece to Carolina Panthers' defense in 2026
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd is one of the best free agents available this offseason, coming off a second-team All-Pro season with five interceptions and 81 tackles. He was a supreme force on arguably the best run defense in football, making big plays all over the field, including one of the best plays of the season: a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
Lloyd is a player any team looking for a standout linebacker will be after, especially the Panthers.
This is a linebacker with excellent range, coverage, and eye discipline, blitzing ability through gaps and off the edge, and pop in the pads to stonewall ball carriers in run fits. He is everything the Panthers have not had at linebacker since Luke Kuechly retired.
Will Lloyd be expensive? Of course. But to get the best, you have to pay.
Spotrac projects his market value at $20.14 million per season on a three-year, $60.43 million deal. One aspect to consider, though, is that Morgan and Brandt Tilis were prepared to give Williams a major deal before the average-per-year went well above what Derrick Brown was making.
It was simply a non-starter. This time, it is a different thought process.
Another thing to consider is that with the center market expanding in recent days, Cade Mays could be on his way to a lucrative deal. This could free up the necessary money to make a splash in free agency.
The Panthers don't have an adequate starter at linebacker. Lloyd would be the missing piece to the puzzle on defense, instantly becoming one of the team's best players on arrival. If Carolina could land the Utah product, it would be the best move made all offseason, no matter what happens afterwards.
Morgan was clear during the Combine that the Panthers want to attack free agency at will to improve the trenches and the front seven. It all starts during the legal tampering period, and all eyes should be on Carolina for what significant move they'll make this offseason. Â