The Panthers will have a new look, especially on defense, with all of their offseason acquisitions.
The dust seems to have mostly settled on NFL free agency. Most of the big free agents have found new homes and a lot of the bigger name players on the trade block have relocated. It’s been about a week since the last significant Carolina Panthers signing, so it’s a good time to look at the roster with the draft pending.
The offense is almost exactly the same. The defense is vastly different. Let’s break it down. Note that I might not include every single player currently on the roster. This is more like if the Panthers played a game tomorrow, here’s a rough idea of what the roster would look like.
Offense
Quarterbacks: Bryce Young, Andy Dalton, Jack Plummer
It’s the same quarterback room we had last season. Bryce Young more than earned his place as the starter. Andy Dalton re-signed as a veteran presence and quality spot starter. Jack Plummer had moments last preseason and seems fine for a third string option.
Running backs: Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, Jonathon Brook, Emani Bailey
Dowdle has been the one big new acquisition on offense. The Panthers somehow got him on a bargain of a deal after a breakout season in Dallas. He and Hubbard will provide a dynamic one-two punch on the ground. Meanwhile the Cowboys signed Miles Sanders to help fill the void left by Dowdle.
Wide receivers: Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, David Moore, Dan Chisena, Dax Milne
This group looks like it could still use some work. Legette did not live up to his billing as a first round pick last year, but Coker kind of made up for that by being an undrafted gem. Their development could change the trajectory of this group.
Tight ends: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, Jordan Matthews
Conspicuously absent from the depth chart is Ian Thomas, who stuck around in Carolina longer than I think most people expected. He missed most of the last two seasons with calf problems and is currently unrostered as of this writing. Jordan Matthews looked good in the preseason and has stuck around. The unit isn’t great, but we’ve seen much worse in Carolina.
Offensive line: Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Austin Corbett, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Cade Mays, Yosh Nijman, Chandler Zavala
I think most people were surprised that the Panthers were able to convince all of Corbett, Christensen, and Mays to come back. That triumvirate provided the Panthers with almost all of their center depth last season. It’s nice having all of them to keep together an offensive line unit that is actually one of the stronger groups around the league for once.
Defense
Defensive line: Derrick Brown, Tershawn Wharton, A’Shawn Robinson, Bobby Brown III, Shy Tuttle, LaBryan Ray
The entire world knew the Panthers needed to beef up most of their defense. They invested on the defensive line, adding Wharton and another Brown so shore up the rotation on the interior. The return of Brown and the new additions makes this unit look passable now.
Edges: Jadeveon Clowney, DJ Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, DJ Johnson, Amare Barno
The Panthers also invested in a new pass rusher with Patrick Jones II, joining former Vikings teammate DJ Wonnum on the line. Barring an unexpected breakout from one of the latter four players, there aren’t any game wreckers here, but it at least looks like a group that’s better than what the Panthers started last season with.
Inside linebackers: Josey Jewell, Trevin Wallace, Christian Rozeboom, Claudin Cherelus
Shaq Thompson has moved on after a couple of catastrophic leg injuries ended his last two seasons. The Panthers will hope Trevin Wallace breaks out in year two while Rozeboom provides an insurance plan in case that doesn’t happen or in the case of injury.
Cornerbacks: Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Shemar Bartholomew
The Panthers prioritized new contracts for Horn and Jackson, which locks in a formidable duo on the outside. The depth is questionable, so it’s possible the Panthers aren’t done here.
Safeties: Tre’von Moehrig, Demani Richardson, Nick Scott
Speaking of lack of depth, the Panthers only have two safeties on the roster right now. They signed Moehrig, a box safety that everyone is super excited about. Demani Richardson emerged as a pretty good player late last season. The Panthers re-signed Nick Scott over the weekend, but he struggled at safety and seems better suited as a special teams player. There’s definitely a need for more here though.
Specialists
Kicker: Matthew Wright
Punter: Sam Martin
Long snapper: JJ Jansen
The Panthers are overhauling their specialists group heading into the 2025 season. They replaced Johnny Hekker with basically a different Johnny Hekker. Wright is on a futures contract as he joins a team for the 17th time in his NFL career (I’m not lying). It seems as though he’s the current plan at kicker with Eddy Pineiro still hanging out in free agency.