Three thoughts on Carolina Panthers’ roster entering NFL Draft: WR isn’t only major need

The Carolina Panthers are on a mission to fix their football foundation this offseason. After posting just 14 wins over the past three seasons, the new brain trust — led by GM Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales, both in the first year — is putting together a rebuilding project in earnest.

Over the last month, Morgan has added several young veterans to the roster. While Morgan paid major money to a handful of key contributors, it’s clear that the new leadership group is looking to substantially improve in 2024, before ultimately competing long term when a huge influx of cap space opens up in 2025 and 2026.

So, this is the tone-setting season for the Morgan-Canales era. The duo is likely to receive more time to collaborate than their predecessors, but it’s important to study the process of their work as they head into a very important NFL Draft without a first-round pick.

Here are three Kaye’s Takes as the Panthers start their first offseason program under Canales:

Wide receiver isn’t Panthers’ only major need entering 2024 NFL Draft

The Panthers did a swell job in coverage last season during defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s first campaign on the job. Despite suffering through several injuries in the secondary, Evero’s unit endured, even as the offense torpedoed the entire team into the ground. So, it’d be easy to just lean on Evero’s system and push the cornerback unit down the list of the Panthers’ needs heading into the draft.

But the reality of the situation is a tad more dire. In fact, it could be argued that cornerback is in worse shape on the Carolina depth chart than wide receiver. While the Panthers landed a legitimate upgrade at wideout by acquiring Diontae Johnson — albeit as he enters a walk year — Carolina’s solution to the cornerback dilemma is a bit more open-ended.

The team signed cornerback Dane Jackson in free agency to fill one of the spots left behind by Donte Jackson and C.J. Henderson. While Dane Jackson has plenty of starting experience and a familiarity with Morgan from their shared time in Buffalo, there is a still a hole to fill at a very important spot.

Remember, Jaycee Horn, the team’s top cornerback, has played in just 22 of 51 games since entering the league due to various injuries. Horn is an excellent player when healthy, but his story in the NFL has largely involved trips to the trainer’s table. Due to Horn’s durability concerns, the Panthers need three starter-level cornerbacks, and it’d be fair to argue that even with the Dane Jackson signing, Carolina only has one of those three boxes truly checked off.

The Charlotte Observer polled four evaluators from four different teams last week about the cornerback class in the draft. According to the group, the class is relatively average compared to previous classes with the talent dropping off largely after the third round. So, while the Panthers need another top-notch wide receiver, the depth of the draft class implies that cornerback should be a more urgent fix.

The Panthers not only need competition for Dane Jackson at the No. 2 cornerback spot, but they also need insurance for Horn in case his annual injury woes pop up. The solution for both of those scenarios can come from one talented prospect, but the Panthers need to find that guy to help the coverage unit for the foreseeable future.

While Stephon Gilmore’s name has been floated, even by newly signed edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, his age (34 in September) and cost (likely well-above a rookie contract) could make him a bit less appealing to a team that is several players away from contending for a Super Bowl.

Flexibility over archetypes at wide receiver

Regardless of the pecking order of roster problems, wide receiver is still a notable area of need. The Panthers, luckily, enter a draft where pundits are extremely high on the depth of the class.

However, while most pundits fixate on archetypes (the prototypical X receiver, the speedy flanker, and the always-get-open slot guy), the Panthers should be more strategic with flexibility when it comes to the position.

Sure, Adam Thielen is a proven presence in the slot, and he can also play the Z position. The Panthers can use Johnson at all three spots, in theory. While Jonathan Mingo struggled at the Z spot last season, he had a lot of college success in the slot, and he has the size to play X if developed properly.

Canales, a former wide receivers coach, will benefit from game-planning with versatile wide receivers. If he can use a three-receiver set with moving parts, he will be able to dictate mismatches accordingly. That should help the wide receivers get open, which will ultimately help Bryce Young get rid of the ball much faster.

If anything, speed should be the one trait to chase in the draft. And that trait appears to be widespread at the position among its top 10 to 12 prospects.

Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, Oregon’s Troy Franklin, Texas’ Xavier Worthy, Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley and Florida’s Ricky Pearsall all fit the bill with speed and versatility. Of that handful of prospects, most are expected to be available at the top of the second round, where the Panthers own the 33rd and 39th overall picks.

Derrick Brown’s contract extension has paramount value

The Panthers were able to reach an agreement with defensive lineman Derrick Brown on a massive contract extension last week ahead of the offseason program. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is worth $96 million over four years with $63.16 million in guaranteed money.

That is a huge deal for Brown, who is known more for his work as a run defender than as a pass rusher. However, Brown was a disruption machine on all fronts last year and deserved to be paid for his talent and upside after a career season.

Brown isn’t the most charismatic player in the locker room. He’s not a big “numbers” guy in the stat sheet, and you probably won’t hear his name being brought up on national sports talk radio or TV. But Brown is a homegrown star who has lived up to his first-round billing.

After seeing Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu leave town this offseason, the Panthers needed to establish that they will reward incumbent talent for their production. Brown was an easy example for such a reward system, and his extension should be well-received in the locker room as the Panthers start the Canales-Morgan era.

The Panthers have traded away a lot of homegrown talent over the years. It was time to show that playing well in Carolina pays off on Mint Street.

Morgan and new EVP of football operations Brandt Tilis deserve credit for not allowing Brown’s contract situation to become a Burns-like distraction as they start a new campaign with a clean slate at the top.