3 players the Carolina Panthers would be smart to stay away from in 2024

Carolina Panthers cannot risk signing Jonah Williams

Because of the Carolina Panthers' limited draft capital, they might not be able to check off everything on their to-do list. Former general manager Scott Fitterer put Dan Morgan at a disadvantage, but there's nothing the team can do to change what has already happened.

The two most urgent needs for the team are at wide receiver and along the offensive line. This was a wholly inept unit in 2023.

Part of that was likely due to the scheme, but the protection needs more talent. If the Panthers want to go hunting in free agency for some plug-and-play guys, they could certainly do that. Both Austin Corbett and Bradley Bozeman were free-agent additions in recent seasons, so the organization has shown interest in veterans with proven credentials.

One of the more interesting free agents along the offensive line is Jonah Williams, who was the Cincinnati Bengals' first-round selection in 2019. He was the team's starting left tackle from 2020-2022 and was kicked over to right tackle in 2023.

Not only is Williams just 26 years old, but he has experience at both tackle spots. He might make a ton of sense for Carolina, right? Wrong.

Pro Football Focus credits Williams with a lowly grade of 58.5 in 2023, along with committing five penalties and allowing eight sacks. He was not much better in 2022 with four infringements and 12 sacks conceded.

Furthermore, do young offensive linemen hit free agency? Since the unit is such a valuable position group, teams with valuable players - especially on the edge - typically re-sign them. The Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr. last year in free agency to play left tackle. That isn't exactly an endorsement of Williams' abilities.

The Panthers should not bother with this player.