3 severe overreactions from the Carolina Panthers' 2024 offseason
By Dean Jones
There's a newfound sense of optimism among Carolina Panthers fans after yet another offseason overhaul across the board. While most remain cautious about the team's hopes next season and beyond, what cannot be disputed is the sounder foundations in place thanks to the sterling work done by Dan Morgan, Brandt Tilis, and Dave Canales in recent months.
The Panthers are planning for the future instead of panicking with supposed win-now gambles that became prevalent throughout Scott Fitterer and Matt Rhule's respective tenures. This was the only viable route to take after how things unfolded in 2023. It'll be a long road back to prosperity, but the early signs leave reasons for optimism.
Other fans are looking at things more enthusiastically. Some believe that the Panthers can become a surprise package next season. This is an opinion shared by Canales, who's stated his conviction in this team on countless occasions since taking the head coaching job.
It'll be interesting to see how things progress amid the inevitable ups and downs. Before that, here are three severe overreactions from the Panthers' offseason in 2024.
D.J. Wonnum's importance
The Carolina Panthers' pass rush was decimated this offseason. It wasn't exactly great to begin with, so it's not hard to see how this unit could become a weak link once again in 2024.
Jadeveon Clowney carries significant weight on his shoulders. Many expect D.J. Wonnum to play an integral role after he joined in free agency from the Minnesota Vikings. However, that's no guarantee by any stretch of the imagination.
Wonnum was solid enough for the Vikings, but doing it in a different environment might be challenging. He doesn't have an elite pass-rusher opposite him. Space within Brian Flores' blitz-happy scheme was frequent thanks to strength in numbers and the presence of Danielle Hunter. That won't be the case this time around with a diminished supporting cast.
There's also the not-so-small matter of Wonnum's injury complication to factor into the equation. The former South Carolina star is rehabilitating a torn quad and reportedly suffered a setback according to Dave Canales. This doesn't exactly inspire confidence despite the expectancy among fans.