The Carolina Panthers left no stone unturned in NFL free agency last month. They spent a significant amount of cap space to address their defense, signing vets Bobby Brown III, Patrick Jones II, Tershawn Wharton, Tre'von Moehrig, and Christian Rozeboom.
While free agency was a good start for the Panthers, fans should expect the team to add some rookies to the defense and offense in next week’s NFL draft. The Panthers are projected to have nine draft picks, meaning there could be additional roster moves.
Carolina’s roster is still a work in progress despite their improved performance in the second half of the 2024 season. The Panthers’ coaching staff and brass are still looking for the best players at each position in hopes of taking that next step next season and being a factor in the NFC South.
Below, we’ll highlight two Panthers players who could not be with the team when the calendar flips to May.
1. DJ Johnson, OLB
Given the influx of veteran talent at the outside linebacker spots and the potential to add one or two more players in the draft, the writing could be on the wall for the former third-round pick.
Johnson was not a draft pick of general manager Dan Morgan, as the former Oregon defender was part of former GM Scott Fitterer’s last draft class. That 2023 class wasn’t great, outside of Bryce Young, who was taken with the No.1 overall pick.
Meanwhile, Johnson was considered a reach in the third round as the former Ducks standout wasn’t a finished product. While he has the size and speed, he was also 25 and lacked some technique as a pass rusher.
As a rookie in 2023, Johnson had 16 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection in 13 games. He also started in three games during his rookie campaign. Johnson played 29% of defensive and 17% of special teams snaps.
In his second year with the Panthers, Johnson saw an increase in playing time. He suited up in 14 games and made two starts. The former Oregon standout played 40% of defensive snaps and only 17% of special teams snaps.
Johnson made the most of his opportunities last season, recording 44 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection. However, his PFF grades left a lot to be desired.
According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson had a 50.1 pass rush grade (195th among 211 qualified EDGEs) and a 60.3 run defense grade (100th).
While it's good to see Johnson being somewhat effective against the run, the Panthers needed to see more from him as a pass rusher. Carolina wants guys who can get after the quarterback and apply pressure. Hence, they signed Jones II in free agency and have done their homework on the edge rushers in this year’s class.
Given that he’s a third-round pick, it's tough to see Carolina straight up cutting him. However, the Panthers could take the trade route to get any value in return for a 26-year-old defender entering his third season.
2. Shemar Bartholomew, CB
As previously mentioned, the Panthers spent much of their cap space to upgrade the defense, but not so much at cornerback.
Carolina signed Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn to a massive four-year, $100 million contract extension and re-signed veteran cornerback Michael Jackson to a two-year, $10.5 million deal last month.
However, the depth behind Horn and Jackson leaves much to be desired, as the backup CBs are Akayleb Evans and Shemar Bartholomew. Therefore, we can infer that the Panthers will add some cornerback talent in the NFL draft because they can’t go into next season with Evans and Bartholomew as the backups.
The Panthers picked up Bartholomew during the 53-man roster deadline last summer. The New York Jets waived the 24-year-old cornerback, which led to multiple teams reportedly being interested in his services on the waiver wire.
However, the Panthers held top priority on the waiver wire and were able to sign him to their roster. Bartholomew had a good preseason with the Jets, which likely played a part in multiple teams being interested in him.
According to PFF, the 6-foot-1 cornerback posted a 39.6 pass rating when targeted on nine targets. He also had an 85.2 coverage grade, which isn’t bad for the preseason. Bartholomew didn’t see much time during the regular season with the Panthers, appearing in five games.
The former Jets undrafted free agent had three combined tackles and two pass deflections. He played 5% of defensive and 24% of special teams snaps. If the Panthers add a couple of guys in the draft or UDFA period, Bartholomew could be cut before or during rookie minicamp.