5 burning questions following the Carolina Panthers' blowout in Week 1
By Ricky Raines
Carolina Panthers coping without Derrick Brown
It looks like our best player may be out for the season. We have the worst cap room of any team in the NFC. Where do you begin a rebuild with this in mind? - Isaac Herrin
This is a thoughtful question, Isaac.
In case you missed it (how?!), Derrick Brown suffered a meniscus injury in the Week 1 blowout and was placed on injured reserve, officially ending his season. It’s a massive blow, there’s no way to sugarcoat it.
However - and I do understand this answer may not be what you’re hoping for - it doesn’t change the approach for the Carolina Panthers this season or beyond, necessarily. Brown will attack his recovery and should be back for 2025.
Speaking of 2025, that cap space conundrum you brought up will look differently next season as well. As of this moment, Over the Cap estimates the league base salary cap to be $272.5 million and that the Panthers project to have a tick under $43 million in available resources without any other type of roster moves accounted for.
The other good news in that realm is that Carolina will have shed the bulk of their dead cap money that has plagued the franchise for years. That figure currently is projected right under $211,000, which would be the fifth-lowest in the league.
I don’t want to get too far ahead and dig into the draft prospects or positions to target, necessarily, because that’s unfair to the team that still has 16 more games to see play out before we have that assessment. But since we’re here and I want to do more than the political move of straddling the fence - I’ll step out on a limb and say that edge rusher, wide receiver (again), cornerback, and offensive tackle are the four positions I foresee the organization having interest in upgrading.
How they attack those potential upgrades, as far as what combination comes from the draft, free agency, and trades - that’s all to be seen. Keep an eye on the development and progression of Bryce Young, Jonathan Mingo, and Jaycee Horn throughout the season. They all could be pending decisions for the team in their regard.
Horn stays healthy, he could be looking for a significant payday if the play lives up to the expectations he sets for himself.
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