How can the Panthers fix their roster-talent issue?
It doesn’t seem like the Carolina Panthers plan on being nice to Adam Thielen. Regardless, they need to focus on the draft ahead. And they also should sign these two sneaky-good free agents in the 2025 NFL offseason.
Yet another bad year got tacked onto the Panthers’ history as they finished 5-12 on the season. Quarterback Bryce Young showed a little spark down the stretch, but there’s still not a lot of hope for him becoming a franchise player at the critical position.
However, they could dance into the 2025 season with optimism if they could land a couple of key free agents.
Eagles DT Milton Williams should be Panthers target
In his fourth NFL season, Williams emerged as a player who could make a difference along the defensive line. He finished with five sacks despite playing limited snaps for the World Champions.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke highly of Williams during the regular season, according to a team transcript on eagles.1rmg.com.
“Milton has done a really good job,” Siranni said. “He’s tough. He works hard. Good teammate. All the things that you want out of one of your players. Plays with good fundamentals. His fundamentals continue to get better.
“And Milton has seen that success because of how he works and the coaching that he’s getting from (assistant coach Clint) Hurtt. He … had a really nice game against the Rams. That being said, you can’t be great without the greatness of others.”
Williams thrived on a great defense. Would he able to produce in the same way for a defensive unit that counted on him to move the needle. That’s the question the Panthers have to answer. But he’s 25 years old, soon to be 26, and should have four or five more good years left in his NFL career.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales knows his defense must improve. The team gave up the most total points in NFL history at 534. But Canales decided to bring back much-maligned defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for the upcoming season, according to a post on X by Joe Person.
“We have a lot of things to evaluate … into the offseason to reflect on our schemes … and personnel,” Canales said. “And to reflect on the guys we have here, going forward. So there’s a lot of really important conversations about all those factors.”
So reading between the lines, it seems Canales is saying Evero didn’t succeed because the team didn’t have the players it needed on the defensive side of the ball. Getting a guy like Williams could help smooth things over.
WR Marquise Brown makes sense for Panthers
Carolina ranks No. 19 in available cap space, so it won’t be able to go whole hog on guys like Tee Higgins or Chris Godwin. Instead, the Panthers should set their sights on Hollwood Brown.
Ranked No. 36 on the Pro Football Focus list of free agents, Brown could still make a difference for the right team. He’s coming off an injury, but he’s 27 years old and can still make plays.
“Brown was expected to be a marquee addition to a Chiefs‘ receiving corps in need of playmakers but instead missed almost the entire regular season with a shoulder injury,” PFF wrote. “But there’s no better time to prove your value than during the playoffs. Brown posted a PFF receiving grade between 68.1 and 68.7 in each of the past three years, giving teams an indication of what he brings to the table.”
Brown could give Young the type of downfield threat that opens up the Panthers’ passing attack and makes the offense more efficient in the process. Canales benched Young during the 2024, but Young came back and posted a strong finish. Canales left the season with a good impression of the young signal-caller, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio via nfl.com.
“I've gotta just give all the credit to Bryce,” Canales said. “Handling (it) the way he did with maturity, attacking it, and really positioning himself for that next opportunity, not knowing when that opportunity was going to come. Stepping back in and doing the work. Taking the challenge and really finding the joy of playing again.
“I could sense that when we went out to Denver. We didn't get the result we wanted. We didn't win that game. But he threw some balls with confidence. He was having fun, connecting with his teammates, working the sideline, all that. And it was just like I could see this shift in him. And then he just took steps every week. Diving into the install, diving into the game plan, improving from the previous game and applying those things, it was really cool to be a part of.”
Still, Young needs weapons. The current top end of the receiver room — Thielen, Xavier Legette, and Jalen Coker — doesn’t look impressive. Brown could give the Panthers a big boost.
