Dan Morgan's first year as Carolina Panthers general manager was an eventful one. Some tough decisions were made and not every problem was going to be solved immediately. However, the improvements made as the campaign went on indicate that things are trending up at long last.
Morgan has a long-term plan in place. There is an aligned vision with head coach Dave Canales. Team owner David Tepper is staying in the shadows and is willing to give the project time. This brought some much-needed stability and calm heading into the offseason.
The Panthers cannot rest on their laurels. Morgan and his staff must strengthen almost every position group during the upcoming recruitment period. They were more competitive — one only has to look at their efforts over the second half of 2024 to see that — but there are glaring complications to solve in pursuit of getting over the hump.
Fans are expectant. They've been starved of success for so long and there is finally light at the end of a very dark tunnel. That piles more pressure on Morgan to find the right reinforcements, but he's ignoring the outside noise and is fully focused on stage two of his grand plans for progression.
Dan Morgan sticking to Carolina Panthers' plan heading into second offseason
Morgan admitted that this wasn't a quick fix and that remains the case. This is all about finding playmakers who fit the culture. And make no mistake, absolutely nothing is off the table right now.
"I'm not really into quick fixes. I don't think there's such thing as a quick fix. Obviously, you want to fix things as soon as possible. But I'm just going to go into it as, hey, listen, we know where we were on the defensive side of the ball. We do have to continue to add playmakers on that side of the ball, so I just think we have to look at every avenue and explore every avenue to find those playmakers. And, hey, if we find somebody and we like somebody, whether trade, whether draft, whether the free agency, we're going to explore every path."Dan Morgan via Panthers.com
Taking calculated gambles and trusting the assessments of his staff is the best route forward for Morgan. It was a good start to his tenure but nothing more. If the Panthers want to kick on in Canales' second season, they must maximize every possible resource in the coming months.
Stabilizing the franchise was the first objective. Now that's been achieved, Morgan should be thinking a little bigger. This bears more significance when one considers quarterback Bryce Young's exceptional progress in cementing his starting status in 2025.
Leaving no stone unturned is key. Taking advantage of opportunities when they arise and leaning on Carolina's improved environment to convince free agents should be enough to get the right quality on board.
If it takes a little longer to mold a complete roster, that's fine. Morgan's earned the trust of Tepper and is winning even his harshest skeptics among the fanbase around. That's promising after so much abject misery in recent years, but it'll count for nothing if the front-office leader doesn't build on this promise.
Strap yourselves in. Another enthralling offseason awaits.