The Carolina Panthers won the NFC South and made the playoffs with eight wins during the 2025 season. However, there is a lot of hard work ahead if the franchise wants to keep building the right way.
General manager Dan Morgan is under a microscope once again. He's gained rave reviews for his roster construction since taking the job two years ago. Not every move has panned out as yet, but this organization is far more competitive on the field and professional behind the scenes.
Optimism is growing, but changes are expected once again this offseason. And one NFL analyst placed the microscope firmly on a massive Panthers investment that hasn't yet yielded the desired results.
Carolina Panthers' decision to spend big on Tershawn Wharton is receiving criticism
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus named Tershawn Wharton as Carolina's worst move of the 2026 offseason. Injuries hindered his impact, but the analyst didn't think the defensive lineman had provided any bang for Carolina's buck so far.
"Carolina’s defensive investments included spending over $54 million to lure [Tershawn] Wharton away from the Chiefs, but the transaction flopped in Year 1. Wharton played to a career-low 43.0 overall PFF grade with a 34.5 PFF run-defense grade. Moreover, his PFF pass-rush grade fell from 71.9 to 60.4."Bradley Locker
The Panthers turned to Wharton after their bold bid for Milton Williams fell through. They were undone by the New England Patriots' larger offer, and Morgan didn't want to match it. He thought Carolina could get similar production at a lower cost with his top contingency plan. That wasn't the case.
Wharton's salary-cap number is surging next season, carrying an $18.64 million charge. That equated to 5.9 percent of the total, which doesn't match his 2025 performance. Unless significant improvements are made, it's hard to envisage a scenario in which he'll still be on the books this time next year.
If Wharton continues to underperform, the Panthers would save $14.8 million on their 2027 cap with an early departure. It's too soon to tell whether that'll come to fruition. But what cannot be disputed is the need for the Missouri S&T product to take a giant leap forward when competitive action resumes.
The Panthers saw something in Wharton. Featuring only nine times due to injury, he navigated a stop-start first campaign in Carolina. Hopefully, with a little bit of better fortune on the health front in 2026, he'll be able to make a much better go of things.
If not, this will be his final season in Carolina. And Morgan's decision not to go all in for Williams will come under even more scrutiny.