Dave Gettleman had his end of the season press conference yesterday. He revealed that the Panthers had some cap room and intended to use on something other than ‘Dollar Store’ purchases. You will remember that last year the Panthers had to shed an enormous amount of players. To accommodate franchising Greg Hardy and other moves, the Panthers lost Mike Mitchell, Captain Munnerlyn, Steve Smith, Ted Ginn, and Brandon LaFell.
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Dave Gettleman Shopping List
The result was that the Panthers had to rebuild their secondary for the second year in a row, and only Roman Harper proved to be a permanent fixture in the secondary during the season. Antoine Cason was cut and Thomas DeCoud benched in favor of younger and faster players. This off-season, the Panthers have only minor adjustments that need to be made to the secondary.
Another place that suffered because of the money purge was the offensive line. A patchwork line was planned to get through the season, only for injuries to make the line even more patchwork. That should make the o-line a real place to look at spending this money.
The makeshift wide receiving corps did get the Panthers through the season with the emergence of Kelvin Benjamin and solid play of Greg Olsen. Jerricho Cotchery was steady and Philly Brown’s speed increased his role over the season. The Panthers could use an upgrade at the number 2 receiver spot in the future and Cotchery (12th season) will not play forever.
Betsided
The third linebacker spot was manned by rookie Glanton at the end of the season after injuries to Chase Blackburn and AJ Klein. The Panthers need to groom the guy who will become Kuechly’s version of Lance Briggs in the future. Thomas Davis may have more tread on the tire than normal 10th year linebackers, but the Panthers need the next guy in the system.
The final question is the running back spot, where the Panthers may need to get younger. DeAngelo Williams has been hurt this year and the year that he and Jonathan Stewart both ran for a thousand yards keeps getting further and further into the rearview. The running back question will probably be addressed in the draft rather than going out and signing an existing back.
So the Panthers needs are:
Tackle, specifically left tackle: It is normally easier to find these guys in the draft than in the free agent market. I have no problem moving Bell back to right tackle, but we need better protection on Cam’s left. Line depth should also be addressed, but just retaining the Norwells and Remmers of the world might solve that.
Nickleback/Safety: While I like the way Colin Jones played, the Panthers have to anticipate the retirement of Harper coming sooner than later. The Panthers might address both scenarios. It is unlikely that they could do that with one player.
Big Names?
Big Names are not likely to be a part of the solution for the Panthers. The only big name I can think of who might be available is Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who might be cut to avoid a hefty roster bonus with the Cardinals. Fitzgerald might be overpriced for what the Panthers would want him to do, and he is just as old as Cotchery.