5 wide receivers Carolina Panthers should target after Mike Williams snub

Carolina Panthers could sign Tyler Boyd

This stage of free agency normally comes with diminished options. The Carolina Panthers wanted to take a closer look at Mike Williams before he spurned their advances in favor of the New York Jets. This indicates Dave Canales wants to find a big-bodied receiver for Bryce Young to go alongside two outstanding route runners - Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson.

Jonathan Mingo cannot be written off entirely despite a subpar rookie campaign, but the Panthers are eager to increase competition and give Young everything he needs to thrive. This is coming at the expense of defensive talent, with those in power hoping that Ejiro Evero's scheme will compensate for fewer difference-makers on that side of the football.

If the Panthers opt to examine another free-agent possibility, then Tyler Boyd is worth a look. The 6-foot-2 wideout has 6,000 receiving yards in eight NFL seasons, but his consistency got lost behind Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase with the Cincinnati Bengals.

It doesn't seem likely that the Bengals have enough cash to give Boyd what he's looking for. This is also a good opportunity for the player to emerge from the proverbial shadows and become a No. 1 or No. 2 option elsewhere.

Even though Boyd's last 1,000-yard receiving season came in 2019, he's got a 68.1 percent catch success rate and looks to have a lot of good football left. After Williams took his chances elsewhere, there are worse ways the Panthers could go in their quest to find a bigger receiving threat this offseason.