Dan Morgan had to do something drastic to fix the Carolina Panthers' biggest flaw throughout his second offseason at the helm. But one NFL analyst questioned just how many legitimate difference-makers the general manager acquired during his free-agent spending spree.
The defensive issues were glaring for the Panthers. Ejiro Evero's unit conceded the most single-season points in NFL history and more than 3,000 yards on the ground during an embarrassing campaign that will go down in the history books. Morgan took his share of the blame, but the coordinator will carry the can this time around if the same problems continue.
Analyst questions just how much Carolina Panthers improved their defense this offseason
Eric Edholm from NFL.com acknowledged that the new faces have a good chance of turning things around. However, by how much is the million-dollar question that nobody knows the answer to right now.
"The offseason was spent reinforcing the offense around Bryce Young, who flipped a Week 3 benching on its head to play far more inspired ball down the stretch. Now, about that defense that allowed an NFL-worst 534 points: The loads of new faces should help, but how many true difference-makers did they add?"Eric Edholm
It's a precarious situation. Everything looks better on paper, which is all fans can ask for at this time of year. But until they see proof of progress in a competitive setting, the potential issues cannot be ignored.
Morgan spent lavish sums on fortifying the trenches. He found more explosiveness in the edge-rushing room, and the addition of Tre'von Moehrig to the safety unit should assist greatly. Add to that the return of Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown from injury, and it's not hard to see why optimism is growing.
That's the positive aspect of this equation. However, there is a flip side to this coin.
If the big-money signings don't make an impact, the incoming rookies take time to develop, the linebacking corps becomes a weak link, and no new experienced safety arrives to beef up the room, the Panthers are going to have a big problem. That's without considering Evero being on the hot seat and the cornerback unit lacking sufficient depth.
The Panthers have a real shot to be more competitive if everything comes together. But if the defense fluffs its lines once again to hold the team back from genuine progression, their efforts are only going to end one way.