The Panthers made a number of moves in the first week of free agency, but with so many of their own players hitting free agency and the market for the remaining players likely being cooler than they were hoping for, the Panthers will likely continue to be active into this second week of free agency. While it is unlikely that they are able to make any franchise-changing signings at this point, there are still a number of players out there who could help the Panthers in 2021 and beyond.
So, who would be some players the Panthers should be looking at that are still available in free agency?
Kawann Short, DT (32 years old, 6’3 315lbs)
The Panthers’ to-do list in free agency at this point should start with finding a way to bring back KK Short. While they moved on from Short earlier in the offseason, the indications are that there is mutual interest in bringing Short back if the money is right and, with him having so far gone unsigned in what is a relatively thin defensive tackle class, the chances of that happening should have ticked upwards somewhat.
From the Panthers’ point of view, defensive tackle is arguably the most pressing need on the roster, as while they have added Morgan Fox to play some DT in obvious passing situations, at the moment the only true defensive tackles they have on the roster are Derrick Brown and Bravvion Roy, both of whom are best either as the nose in a 3-4 or as the 1-tech in a 4-3. Adding somebody who can play the 3-tech in both fronts outside of obvious passing situations should therefore be a real priority.
Admittedly, Short doesn’t fit the age profile the Panthers are looking for, as they have made a concerted effort to get younger this offseason, but what he does offer is experience and leadership in what is otherwise a very young defensive line room. From an on-the-field perspective, while Short has missed most of the last two seasons with injury, in the two seasons he played before that he produced 10.5 sacks and 19 TFLs and should still be able to make an impact, especially if viewed more as a rotational starter than somebody playing the majority of defensive snaps.
Even if the Panthers do resign Short, it seems likely that this is an area where they could potentially add somebody in the draft as well and having a veteran who can act as a mentor while taking some of the weight off their shoulder’s would certainly be helpful for their development. This isn’t a move without any risk, but this should be a no-brainer for the Panthers in terms of need and fit, it’ll likely just come down to what other teams are willing to offer him.
Jermaine Eluemenor, OL (26 years old, 6’4 335lbs)
New England Patriots offensive guard Jermaine Eluemunor watches from the bench area in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
The Panthers have already signed two offensive linesmen this free agency, as well as franchise-tagging Taylor Moton, but with Tyler Larsen signing with Washington and John Miller, Chris Reed and Russell Okung still unsigned, the Panthers could well look to add further pieces to the offensive line to give them as much flexibility as possible entering the draft.
While the contracts they have already given out combined with the players they already have under contract means that they will probably be unwilling to throw many more guaranteed dollars at free agent offensive linesmen, if they are able to add players who are able to come in and compete for a roster spot in camp without being locks to make the 53 man roster then they should absolutely do so.
We’ve already taken a look at what Eluemenor could offer the Panthers and similar to the signings of Erving and Elflein, he has the ability to play multiple spots across the line, and would be able to part of what is likely to be quite a broad competition for one of the guard spots but can also offer depth at tackle.
This is not a move that the Panthers have to make, and it seems very likely that they will address the offensive line at least once in the upcoming draft, but continuing to add position flexible pieces up front who can compete for spots in training camp is always a good idea, and given the uncertainty the Panthers have up front outside of Paradis and Moton, the more names they have in the hat the better.
Fabian Moreau, CB (26 years old, 6’0 204lbs)
Photo Credit: Washington Football Team
The other pressing need the Panthers have aside from defensive tackle is cornerback, and while they have signed Rashaan Melvin to be an insurance policy opposite Donte Jackson, it seems unlikely that the Panthers are done at the position. While they would almost certainly have liked to have signed a starter in free agency, they didn’t have the cap space to compete for the likes of William Jackson and Shaquil Griffin.
They could of course look to add a mid-tier developmental option but having been unsuccessful in that approach last offseason with the signing of Eli Apple, the addition of Melvin might indicate that they would rather sign a number of low-cost free agents to compete for spots in camp. One such option would be Fabian Moreau.
Moreau has never managed to get consistent starting time in Washington after being a third-round pick in 2017, but has still managed 6 career interceptions on just 122 targets over the past three seasons and certainly fits the length-speed-ball skills labels that the Panthers seem to look for in their corners. While he only played 15% of Washington’s defensive snaps last season, he allowed a passer rating under 80 and picked-off two of the 11 balls thrown his way and missed just the one tackle.
While Moreau is unlikely to suddenly become a #1 corner in Carolina, he gives them more options at the position while also allowing them to address the position in the draft if things fall that way.
Adam Humphries, WR (27 years old, 5’11 195lbs)
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Adam Humphries (10) pulls in a catch over Cleveland Browns cornerback M.J. Stewart (36) in a play under review during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn.
Gw41305
While the Panthers have already added David Moore to their receiver room in free agency, he looks to be more of an upgrade over Pharoh Cooper than a replacement for Curtis Samuel, and though in a normal free agency the Panthers probably couldn’t afford to add further to their receiver group in any meaningful way, the 2021 wide receiver market seems to be so depressed that with a lot of money already having been spent at the position there are still a number of quality players available.
Humphries was released by the Titans just two years into a four-year deal and while he missed much of 2020 due to injury, he never seemed to be a good fit in what they were building with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback and would likely benefit from moving back to more of a quick-passing attack like the Panthers are trying to build.
Humphries, a Spartanburg SC native, should be familiar to Panthers fans after his time in Tampa Bay, where in four seasons he racked up over 2300 yards and 9 TDs after going undrafted out of Clemson in 2015. A subtle route runner from the slot, Humphries would be an ideal candidate to replicate much of what Samuel was asked to do in the Panthers’ offense in 2020, as for his career his catch percentage of 71% and yards-per-reception of 10.5 are very similar to Samuel’s 2020 numbers of 79.4% and 11.1 respectively.
Given that Humphries is just two-years removed from signing a four year, $36m deal it is unlikely he is willing to commit long-term at a cut-price rate but, in this market, he could give the Panthers another valuable piece at an affordable price who could provide a security blanket from the slot for whoever ends up playing quarterback in 2021.
Jordan Evans, LB (26 years old, 6’3 242lbs)
Photo Credit: Bryan Woolston/AP Photo
Special teams matter, and while the results of Matt Rhule’s plan to dedicate roster spots exclusively to special teamers were mixed, when it comes to spots like back-up safety and linebacker players need to be able to make a real impact on special teams. For the Panthers, Julian Stanford was one of those players in 2020, and while he still remains unsigned, with the Panthers looking to get younger and Stanford turning 31 just before the start of the 2021 season, they could look to go in another direction.
Jordan Evans, a 6th round pick in 2017 got some playing time on defense in his first two years in Cincinnati, starting nine games and playing just over 800 combined snaps, but over the last two years has mostly been a special teams player, playing over 650 special teams snaps over that period.
Importantly for a special teams player, he is fast (4.51 forty at the Combine) and is a very sure tackler, missing under 5% of his 88 tackle attempts over the past three seasons. While he is unlikely to see much time on defense barring an injury, he has flashed an ability to impact the game as a pass rusher, recording 3.5 sacks on just 18 blitz attempts over the past three years, and has also snagged a couple of interceptions in limited playing time.
While not a game changer, Evans could be a crucial special teams player who helps to add depth at linebacker who is still young enough to be a long-term part of what the Panthers are building.
The Panthers likely won’t be willing to splash out huge amounts of cap space at this point, but there should absolutely be some remaining bargains to be had, and while the Panthers’ ambitions could well extend beyond the areas of need covered here (and indeed the specific players), if the Panthers don’t address at least some of these areas then they could find themselves scrambling to address needs when it comes to the draft.
