Fixing the defense was Dan Morgan's biggest priority above all else when the legal tampering period began. This was especially evident on the defensive front, which became an ongoing source of frustration as Ejiro Evero's unit gave up more than 3,000 yards on the ground in 2024.
But according to an NFL analyst, they've massively overpaid for one acquisition.
It looked for a short while as if the Panthers were in pole position to land prolific defensive lineman Milton Williams. Adam Schefter from ESPN reported that Carolina was finalizing a deal for one of the best overall free agents on the market. That sparked the New England Patriots into drastic action, coming over the top with a whopping financial offer to prise him from Morgan's grasp.
This forced the Panthers to pivot. Bobby Brown III was acquired to finally give Carolina a genuine nose tackle to deploy within Evero's 3-4 base scheme. Morgan also secured defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton after a career year with the Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL analyst casts doubt over Carolina Panthers' outlay for Tershawn Wharton
The money was interesting. Wharton got a three-year, $54.1 million deal that also comes with $30.2 million guaranteed. Matt Verderame from Sports Illustrated slammed the move as a huge risk for the Panthers, giving the transaction a D grade in its immediate aftermath.
"The Carolina Panthers came close to landing Milton Williams, and then circled back to fill a pressing need on their defensive interior. It’s an enormous payday for [Tershawn] Wharton, who had a career year with 6.5 sacks in 2024. While Wharton deserved a significant bump, this is enormous money for a player who has enjoyed one above-average campaign and only once has exceeded 50% of the defensive snaps in a season. At 26 years old, there’s ample room to grow, but the Panthers are betting on Wharton not only getting better but becoming a Pro Bowl-caliber player to justify the contract."Matt Verderame
One cannot argue with the fact Carolina overpaid. However, they always have to do that in pursuit of convincing targets to sign on the dotted line.
This is not a big market. Although the Panthers showed improvement over the second half of 2024, they are a long way from entering the Super Bowl discussion. That's a tough sell which normally requires a few extra dollars to get deals over the line.
Wharton is no different. He's going from the dynasty Chiefs to the upstart Panthers. And make no mistake, he wouldn't have joined for free.
Regardless of what Morgan paid, Wharton should help enormously. He's set to form a potentially prolific 3-4 defensive end partnership with Derrick Brown. With Bobby Brown providing a more accomplished anchor capable of clogging up space, coupled with A'Shawn Robinson and Shy Tuttle on the rotation, Carolina is a lot stronger in the trenches.
That was Morgan's biggest objective. There's a lot of hard work ahead to provide extra flexibility during the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Panthers are off to a good start.
And if Wharton ends up building on his 2024 form to become a core part of Carolina's defensive plans, nobody is going to care too much about the price it cost to acquire him.