What are some difficult decisions facing new Dan Morgan in 2024 as he looks to guide the Carolina Panthers into calmer waters?
It’s the beginning of a new era once again. Just a short 12 months ago, Frank Reich was unveiled as the new leader of the Carolina Panthers. Good things were expected in the post-Matt Rhule era.
What transpired was frankly horrid. Reich was fired after a 1-10 start to the season. When the campaign was mercifully brought to a close, the Panthers had a league-worst 2-15 record, sending the No. 1 pick to the Chicago Bears. To no one's real surprise, Scott Fitterer was relieved of his duties, ending his tumultuous reign as general manager.
It's time now to look to the future. The new front office pairing of Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis looks to bring some stability behind the scenes. On the field, David Tepper finally has his young hot-shot offensive coach as former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales has been tasked with turning the fortunes of quarterback Bryce Young around.
This is not going to be a quick fix, despite what the former general manager said about the team being ready to drop a quarterback in and win. This is a team with holes across the board, mainly on the offensive side of the ball. With big issues on the offensive line and in the wide receiver room, Canales - who has just a year of play-calling experience - will have his work cut out.
As for Morgan and the front office, if his introductory press conference was anything to go by, the former Panthers linebacker is looking to change the culture in Carolina. While we need to see results on the field, it seems at least to begin with, things may be turning for the first time under David Tepper's ownership.
Without further ado, let’s break down five difficult decisions facing Morgan in 2024.
Who do the Carolina Panthers select at No. 33?
A lot has been made locally and nationally about the Carolina Panthers' lack of a first-round pick this year. That is magnified by the fact that the selection heading to the Chicago Bears is No. 1 overall.
How the Panthers could do with a top-five pick with the litany of skill position players expected to have their names called early on draft night? But alas, that is not the case.
To look on the positive side, Carolina holding pick No. 33 is essentially a first-rounder. One can expect some supremely talented players to still be available when Dan Morgan makes his first selection as Panthers general manager. The consensus of many fans is that wide receiver should be the call. Adonai Mitchell, Troy Franklin, and Ladd McConkey are among the names expected to be available.
However, despite the clear need at wideout, Carolina has holes around the roster and simply isn’t good enough to be honing in on one position. The offensive line should be under serious consideration as outside of stalwart right tackle Taylor Moton, the other four positions can be improved.
Players such as Graham Barton, Jordan Morgan, and Troy Fautanu are all expected to be on the board at No. 33. All have the talent to make an immediate impact in Carolina.
Whatever decision the Panthers make at No. 33, they must get it right. Much was made of the failings of Scott Fitterer in the draft and that must change under the new regime.
Carolina Panthers must find a WR1 for Bryce Young
Going into the 2023 season, it was expected that the Carolina Panthers wide receiver room would be at the bottom of the league. Unfortunately for Bryce Young, that played out dismally. Outside of Adam Thielen - who performed admirably on his way to his first 1,000-yard receiving season since 2018 - the unit was an immense disappointment.
D.J. Chark scrapped his way over 500 receiving yards but struggled throughout the season with some critical drops. Before his rookie season was curtailed by a foot injury, Jonathan Mingo did little to justify his top-40 selection. It’s tough to argue that outside of Thielen, the receiver that flashed most was Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
It must be a priority of Dan Morgan to find Young a genuine WR1 moving forward. With a litany of options in both free agency and the draft, the Panthers have plenty of options.
This has been touted as a loaded class at the wide receiver position with talent expected to be available in the later rounds. The Panthers should be able to find a difference-maker or two despite not having a first-round pick as it stands.
After a lackluster free agency group at wide receiver in 2023, things couldn't be any more different this year. The likes of Calvin Ridley, Micheal Pittman Jr., and Tee Higgins are among those who could hit the open market. There’s also the tantalizing prospect of Mike Evans in process blue.
Could Evans be convinced to follow his former offensive coordinator to Carolina and become the immediate No. 1 option for Young? Stranger things have happened.
Jaycee Horn's fifth-year option
A year ago, it was a no-brainer for the Carolina Panthers to pick up the fifth-year option of Derrick Brown. However, heading into this offseason, that decision is less clear with Jaycee Horn.
It's impossible to doubt the ability of Horn. When healthy, he is far and away a top-10 cornerback in the league. But availability is a real issue.
During his three NFL seasons, the former South Carolina man has featured in just 20 games out of a possible 51 - 13 of those starts coming in 2022. This past season Horn featured in just six games. He lost most of the season to a hamstring injury suffered in just the second quarter of the season opener at the Atlanta Falcons.
Much has been made of the Panthers picking Horn before the Denver Broncos selected Patrick Surtain II, who is a two-time Pro Bowler and was voted first-team All-Pro in 2022. The Alabama product has been readily available, featuring in 50 of 51 games, missing just a solitary contest during his rookie year.
When healthy, there isn’t much to pick between the two. With the supreme talent Horn has, it seems unlikely the Panthers will decline the fifth-year option. But if the defensive back wants to secure a second contract in Carolina, he must find a way to stay on the field.
Carolina Panthers must fix their cap situation
Heading into the 2024 season, the Carolina Panthers' cap situation is precarious, to say the least. They currently have just over $28.5 million in space available, which is the 12th most in the league. But with some key contracts to figure out, that number could quickly dwindle.
New executive vice president of football operations Brant Tilis - who helped negotiate Patrick Mahomes' record contract - will be at the forefront of the Panthers' move to create cap space after the franchise parted company with Samir Suleiman - the team's outgoing salary cap and player negotiation manager.
There will be the inevitable contract restructures. Don’t be surprised to see some players cut or traded to create cap space.
Two viable candidates to be cut or traded are Miles Sanders and Donte Jackson. The running back is coming off an extremely disappointing season in 2023. If he is moved post-June 1, it would save the Panthers $6.2 million with just a $1.4 million dead cap hit.
As for Jackson - who is entering his seventh year with the team - he seems a likely cap casualty. If the Panthers cut or trade the former LSU man with a post-June 1 designation, they would save $10.5 million in cap space with a $5 million dead cap hit.
Whatever happens, the new tandem of Dan Morgan and Tilis have some difficult decisions to make this offseason.
Carolina Panthers must figure out contract extensions
The Carolina Panthers have some difficult decisions to make this offseason when it comes to deciding which key players will return. The failings of the former general manager Scott Fitterer to sort the Brian Burns contract out leaves Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis in a predicament. The edge rusher reportedly turned down an extension worth around $23 million per season. After a subpar year in 2023, that number might not go much higher.
This makes Burns a likely trade candidate for Carolina. He is talented, but his failure to elevate to a truly elite pass rusher as yet may mean the new front office could be tempted to trade the player if a first-round pick is offered.
According to Spotrac, Burns' market value is $21.7 million annually. While this is clearly below what the player wants, his value has likely decreased after just eight sacks in 2023.
Another key free agent for the team is Frankie Luvu. Fitterer didn't get much right as Panthers general manager, but bringing in the linebacker from the New York Jets was likely his best move. He's gone from a special teams ace to a core member of the defense in three years. Morgan must find a way to keep him around long-term.
Luvu passed 100 tackles for a second straight season. His 125 tackles led the team. He was also second in sacks once again with 5.5, taking him to 12.5 over the last two seasons. The former Washington State star is blossoming into one of the league's better blitzing/off-ball linebackers and will be paid accordingly this offseason.
According to Spotrac, Luvu’s market value is $11.2 million annually - a fair improvement from the two-year, $9 million contract he signed before the 2022 season. But the fact remains, he is arguably a top-three player on this team. When you’re as bad as the Panthers, you cannot afford to lose the very few good players you have.