4 biggest surprises of Carolina Panthers 2023 free agency so far
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers changes at RB
Trading Christian McCaffrey was a sacrifice the Carolina Panthers felt they needed to make. The team was going nowhere fast before the deadline, which made a lucrative offer from the San Francisco 49ers too tempting despite the player's importance and the dead-cap implications.
D'Onta Foreman filled the void superbly in the immediate aftermath of McCaffrey's departure. Something that led many to believe a new deal would be coming to keep him in Carolina long-term.
As it turned out, the Panthers opted to go a little bolder with their thought process. Frank Reich went back to one of his old associates with the Philadelphia Eagles, signing Miles Sanders to a four-year, $25.4 million deal that also included a $5.9 million signing bonus and $13 million guaranteed.
This was a shock to almost every fan. It also impacted Foreman, who wasn't going to stick around as a result and ended up signing a one-year, $3 million deal with the Chicago Bears.
Sanders is a definite upgrade and was arguably the best running back available in free agency after Saquon Barkley got the franchise tag. However, paying another running back decent money so soon after McCaffrey was a little surprising, to say the least.
Hopefully, the investment can pay off. But this should make their new rookie quarterback's life a lot easier, which was the primary focus of the team's free-agent moves after landing the No. 1 overall selection.