Chris, remember back just before Christmas when we had the Jimmy Horn Junior mini helmet that we were giving away? Shout out to Seth all the way out there in Black Mountain, the winner of that. Congratulations to Seth, and we, you know, make sure we give a shout out to Seth, but also a shout out to every single one of you out there. And Chris, It’s a big offseason for this Panthers team. It’s big. Big offseason. You can either go back a few steps, you could stay the same. Or you can make a jump. We’ll talk about that. Let’s get this sucker started. Get dialed in, Panthers fans. Here comes an in-depth look at your team. Exclusive interviews, locker room insight. Let’s huddle up for Panthers Playbook presented by Wake Orthopedics, a WakeMed physician practice. Here are your hosts, Dennis Cox and Chris Lee. Welcome back to another episode of Panthers Playbook. That’s Chris Lee. Dennis Cox here with you. Big shout out to our sponsor. Awake Orthopedics sponsoring Panthers playbook. Once again, we want you all to leave your thoughts in the comment section. We’re talking about potential free agents and even Panthers players that are free agents. Who do you want back? Who do you want on this team? Because like you said, Chris, this team could either take a step back, could stay right there middling around 500, or do they take the next step that we expect? You go from 2 wins to 5 wins to 8 wins. We should expect, we should expect. The standard now is this upcoming season. 10 wins in my opinion. 10 wins in my opinion. I, I would say at least like you gotta get back to 8 at least. But, but as far as, as far as expectations, yes, you need to get to, you need to get 2 more wins. But if they were just to have 8 wins, I wouldn’t be upset. I wouldn’t be upset. I wouldn’t be happy. But I wouldn’t be upset. We’ll, we’ll, we’ll have a conversation with him plenty of offseason to talk about that, but there are some big decisions that Dan Morgan, Brandt Tillis, Dave Canales, the brass of the Carolina Panthers, the decisions that they had to make regarding the roster moving forward because. As much progress as they’ve made, there are still some glaring weaknesses on this team. And also as well, you’re looking at about in terms of functional cap space, about middle of the pack, $13 million for the Carolina Panthers this upcoming year. How does Dan Morgan navigate in terms of maybe creating more cap space to potentially make splashes and all that kind of stuff? There are a lot of big-time decisions in that regard. But again, I talk like functional cap space because you gotta look at the, the rookies that you’re gonna draft and those kinds of things as well. You have your restricted free agents. So again, talking about functional cap space, that’s talking about we can go make that big free agent signing and those kinds of things. So yeah, when you look at cap space, you have to take all those things into consideration as well. It’s like you have to still sign your rookie class and those kinds of things as well. But For example, let, let’s start on the defensive side of the ball. Right now, going into next year, there’s a, there’s a hole at free safety. Dan Morgan has to make the decision. I know Nick Scott’s a uh, unrestricted free agent after this season. We’ll kind of get into, you know, whether, whether he should be back or not, but Dan Morgan and Dave Canales and that, and that coaching staff in that front office need to take a look and say, Well, what, what can we do at free safety? Like, you know, you’re good. You got Mike Jackson. You got JC Horn, you got Trayvon Merrick. Can Lathan Ransom be that guy? Possibly. Now, if you project that he can be, well, guess what? You don’t have to make a big free agent splash, you know. Maybe you draft another guy to have another developmental player behind him, but otherwise. You don’t have to make a big signing. So that’s, that’s, those are all things that Dan Morgan has to consider. We’re gonna stick on safety right now. Let’s start there. Um, yeah, I, I, I 100% agree with you. I think Lathan Ransom can take the next step, but what is the next step is what I want to know from the Carolina Panthers. Is it him having more reps still in a backup role, or are you expecting him to take over as the starter in that position now, I think. That the Panthers can afford to take to make one big splash and then you get like your rose booms, your, um, you know, just some of the extra like ancillary guys that you add in, you know, uh, to, to, you know, add in some depth into certain places. So if you decide to make a splash at safety. Kobe Bryant from the Seattle Seahawks might, might be available. I know Cam Curl from the LA Rams is a people, a lot of people are, are eyeing towards, but making, keep making interceptions in the postseason, that price tag is only gonna go up and up and up and up and up. But that’s, that’s the big thing. Like you need a guy who can, who can do that, and Cam Curl’s been doing that. Kobe Bryant, I wanna say, I, I might have the numbers wrong. 10 to 12 interceptions over the last two seasons, some somewhere in that range, somewhere in that range. So he’s a guy who can create those plays back there for you, uh, if you wanna go do that. I do think that the answer is in-house though. I think that really the, the, the ultimate answer is give Lathan Ransom, uh, the, the big reps at free safety. I think he showed, um, You know, in that Tampa Bay game when he made the game-winning interception that he can make those plays, um, I think he just needs to be out there more. Now you just need depth pieces to fill in what’s, you know, the, the spots behind him and also Trevon Merrick. Let’s not forget as well, the game that against the Rams, the first time they played in the regular season where Trayvon Merrick was suspended. Ransom filled in as a starter for Merrick. Had, well, I think I remember it was 11 tackles, had a sack also as well in that game. Like, like, yeah, like the dude played really well and he carved himself out a role in subpages. And the question now, again, it’s what does Dan Morgan in that in that defense look like? Or how do they view that position? Because If you feel like he can be a starter for you. Now, again, Nick, Nick Scott is, he started his career as a seventh-round pick out of the, uh, by the LA Rams back in 2019. Who was the safeties coach there with the LA Rams? Ero Everre. He’s kind of like what David Moore is to Dave Canales. Nick Scott has kind of become that for Eveau, which is, which is maybe a little bit better for Everau than what David Moore. That’s my guy. But I don’t know if you’re gonna, I know David, I’m sorry, I know that Nick Scott played a ton of snaps this year, but I think there can be another level at that position. I think Ransom could do it, but if he can be that, Chris, if Ransom could be that, go ahead. Sorry. No, no, no, I was just gonna add in, um, because the two safeties who are free agents on the Panthers’ roster right now are for the 2025 season. Nick Scott, who you brought up, and also Isaiah Simmons is somebody, you know, who they gave a look to at the end of the year. Uh, you know, pretty much picked him up off of, uh, the wire at home. He was sitting at home, um, you know what I’m saying, like he, he, you know, is, he was a guy that, you know, was like. There he had all the promise in the world, didn’t really live up to the expectations, but played decently down the stretch. That’s one of the guys that I marked. So I look at all the, uh, free agents on the Panthers roster. I either checked, yes, no, or maybe. I put a maybe next to Nick Scott and Isaiah Simmons, uh, because I wouldn’t mind if they come back. But the, the caveat for me, for Nick Scott is if he comes back. He has to recognize or the coaching staff has to be OK with that the person starting in front of him is Lathan Ransom. If not, he might have to get the DJ Johnson treatment. And if, if Dave Canales needs to force that hand. To, to make that happen, just so the young guy can take that spot. Then so be it. Let’s not forget that. Let’s, let’s not forget that. So be it. Let’s not, let’s not forget that because Every coach has their guys, you know, every coach has their guys. It’s no Panthers are no different. Panthers are no different than any other team. Hey, that’s, that’s, that’s my guy right there. But if Lathan Ransom could be the starter potentially, or maybe a, heck, if a guy that you maybe had a first-round grade that falls down to you in the 2nd round and you take him as well, now you’ve built more depth and more versatility in that position, fine, cool with it. But then you go to the front. All right. You go to the front. The weakest position on the team during this past season was off-ball linebacker as a whole. And it only got more thin because Christian Robesboom is going to be a free agent and there’s a potential that he might, people are going to look at his stats and go like, oh, look, another 100+ tackles or whatever it was and got his hands on the ball late in the season a few different times. Maybe he gets a bigger contract than what the Carolina Panthers are willing to offer. You only have Trevon Wallace really coming back. Claudton Cheerless is a restricted free agent. Chris Barnes is a veteran journeyman. That’s to me is the weakest position and that really needs to be addressed the most. I, I, do you go back and bring in Christian Roseboom, but that position needs an upgrade. That position needs a massive upgrade. I have, uh, a check next, next to Christian Roseboom’s name. The way I looked at it is this, don’t throw more money towards him that, that he’s worth, right? Like he had a really good season his last year with the Rams in 2024. The Panthers were able to go pick him up with the idea that he was gonna be a backup. He had a good season with the Carolina Panthers. Did he raise his stock that much from the Rams to the Panthers? I’m not sure. It depends on what other GMs look at him as and, and what type of value they feel like they can get for him. If he’s gonna have the, essentially the same free agent market, Put, bring him back for another one-year contract, and I, I don’t mind having that guy on the team. I don’t want to sink a lot of capital into him, but bring him back, uh, for another one-year contract, and I have Chris Barnes marked as, as a maybe, you know, it’s one of those like, cool, if he’s on a training camp roster, OK, that sounds good. But there are some interesting names out there, and I, I marked a few, uh, that I’m kind of interested in. Quay Parker from Green Bay, Devin Lloyd from Jacksonville. Here’s an interesting one. The Kobe Dean from Philadelphia. Now he’s dealt with a lot of injuries. His problem isn’t the ability, it’s availability. You wonder if you can get a guy like that a little bit cheaper. And take the risk of what he could or can’t provide for you, but also go draft that position. And so if Nacoby Dean, um, uh, ends up being, um, healthy this season, then that’s a plus. That’s a bonus, and you get, you get a chance to, uh, build depth with your, uh, with your rookie. And then if you still have Roseboom and you have Trevon Wallace there, then maybe, um, that inside linebacker position looks a little bit better. They need to, they need to add a lot in that position. And it’s interesting how that position has evolved. I heard Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network talk about this with Ryan Ruscillo on his show. So I’m, I’m, I’m, this is where I’m referencing this. I thought he brought up a really good point. Is that how we have seen that position devalued in the NFL? Well, I think it’s also a byproduct of Again, Daniel Jeremiah brought this up. I thought he made a really good point. Is that in college football, you see so many of these spread offenses, right? 34 receivers out there in the field. So teams are naturally going with a lot of nickel, dime. So they’re using a lot of linebacker, or sorry, a lot of, uh, secondary out on the field. A lot of safeties, a lot of corners. And as a result, you’re seeing less off-ball linebackers on the field. So you’re just not getting the natural reps and plus you need speed to cover from sideline to sideline, especially with, The way the college game is with the wider hash marks is that if you’re lined up on one side, the field side, there’s just simply more space. I need more speed that can get out there. We get to the NFL, those guys aren’t built to handle the run, to take on like a 320 pound guard that’s coming their way. So it’s hard to find those guys. And then also as well, you see in high school and even in college as well, if you have just really good athletes, especially in high school. Is that if you have a really good athletes at 62, 225 pounds, I’m gonna put you on the edge and just use your athleticism and speed. So guys, just, it’s just that natural trickle-down effect and it gets to the NFL. Look at the 2025 draft, there are only 4 off-ball linebackers drafted in the first two days. That’s it. And only one in the first round. That was Jahad Campbell going to Philadelphia late. Then Carson Schlesinger went number 33 overall to the Browns, but that’s it. So it’s hard to find that spot. It’s hard to fill that. So some of these guys that you mentioned in terms of linebackers. Because of supply and demand, they might, the Panthers just might not be in a position to pay some of these guys, and I think that’s it’s, it’s difficult to find. I think that’s one of the reasons why I listed Nacoe Dean, because I expect Quay Parker and Devin Lloyd to go for some big money. Jacoby Dean might be one of those guys that Teams are like, uh, the injury history, I’m not sure. And you know, even with this, I’d offer him a one year deal, almost like the Roseboom thing. Come prove it, you know, I don’t want to sink a lot of money into you. I don’t want to give you a bunch of, uh, guaranteed money and you, you know, tear your Achilles, you know, and, and, and I got you for, you know, 23 years. I wanna make sure that you can give us, you know, some sort of value, so. Um, I, I do think that they need to try something for sure. They definitely need to, uh, drafting somebody, going into the free agent route. I mean, honestly, going both. I would not be surprised if they bring in 3 additional guys into that area because again, Trevon Wallace, he’s been up and down his 1st 2 years and he’s been dealing with, with shoulder injuries in both of his seasons so far in the NFL. So, UFL guys, your time to step up and shine. It’s, I mean, I don’t know. Maybe Isaiah Simmons, make him, uh, I don’t know, a sub-package linebacker. I’m not entirely sure what they do with him. He could, he could, he can do that. OK, first of all. Walk by Isaiah Simmons in the locker room, you’re like, that dude’s built different, by the way, just. They’re an Adonis up there like, OK. Now, the big free agent splash that I know a lot of people want to make, whether it’s free agency and or draft, Chris, it’s on the defensive front with edge rusher. Now, they got a free agent in DJ Wantham who only had 3 sacks this past season. Pat Jones, hopefully from his back injury is going to be coming back. Apparently, he was actually relatively close to even potentially coming back in the playoffs. Pat Jones the 2nd was. But then you have the rookies in Nick Gordon, you have Princely Umamielen going into year 2, but you want to talk about another area. That needs an upgrade, it’s guys that can get to the quarterback. And I don’t think DJ Wantham is going to be the answer at that spot. I have him down as a maybe because if somebody looks at him and says, yeah, we, we’ll spend a little bit more than what the Panthers are willing to spend on him, let him go, right? Um, but if not, if he can come back at a decent price, and he, he knows the system, you know, I, I, I don’t want to hold. Um, too much against him because he did have that leg injury last year and, uh, he came back a little bit late. We didn’t get the full 2-year experience out of him. Another 1-year contract. Let’s just see what happens. Pat Jones ended up getting, uh, injured. Those two, played together in Minnesota. Maybe they also develop some sort of chemistry if they’re able to play a full season together. Uh, on, you know, opposite ends of each other. So it’s one of those, maybe, let’s see. I’d say, I’d say no on Juham for the simple fact that, I say, I would say, I’d say total no for the simple fact that you, if, if he’s back, you’re taking snaps away from your two young guys. I’m, I’m, I’m like, and that’s the thing we were talking about again, DJ Johnson. You took the snaps away from the young guys like scoring, Umayelen, those guys need to be on the field. You took those guys in the 2nd and 3rd round for a reason. Put those guys out there on the field, but find the guy that can go with them. Travis Gibson, um, I put him as a yes, but my yeses don’t necessarily mean yes for the 53. My yes means, yeah, let’s, let’s resign him and see what happens, uh, from the training camp roster standpoint. Like I want him to, To make, he’ll be there in July. He can help with depth, maybe help out with, um, with, uh, special teams and see what happens. But like Travis Gibson not taking any snaps from scoring or Umami Ellen. But I thought he, I thought he added some value when he was with the pans. I thought he did fine, but again, he, he was playing more snaps than Umami Ellen, which again, for the long term, I don’t want that. I don’t know if because he was wearing number 52, which is DJ Johnson’s old uniform. I don’t know if everyone saw that. I was like, My guy. It’s my guy, wait a second. He’s back actually, but this 52, uh, made more plays. Um, Thomas Ecu is a, you’re not wrong. Thomas Ecu is a restricted free agent, special teamer, man. I love him, and I put him, I put him in as, as a, as a maybe, um, just a lot for, for the same reasons. Like if you’re gonna. If you end up making a splash, and I think this is, if you’re gonna make a splash, either really gonna make a splash here or in wide receiver, and we’ll get to that, but like if you’re gonna make a splash and also address it in the um In, in the draft, then, you know, do you need Thomas Ecom? But yeah, he’s a great free. He’s a good, uh, special teamer, you know, he’s, he’s a good locker room guy, one of those types of things. I have him as a maybe. I wouldn’t mind him being, uh, on the training camp roster. I’d like to see him back again, he’s a core 4 special teamer. I wouldn’t mind seeing him back. Now there aren’t any free agents on the defensive line. For the Carolina Panthers, Hashaun Robinson, Turk Wharton, Bobby Brown, Derrek Brown, all under contract. You also have Cam Jackson. Uh, I think LeBrian Ray might be LeBrian Ray is restricted. Um, Jared Harrison Hunt for me, yeah, Harrison Hunt, who was a rookie. And then it was on the practice squad. Apparently some teams were hunting around potentially to sign him off the Carolina Panthers practice squad and Panthers was like, no, we want to keep this guy. We’re going to put him on the 53 even though he was inactive pretty much the entire year. But there’s a big question in terms of the big contracts that were given on the defensive front. Ashaun Robinson counts over $11 million towards the salary cap in 2026. He’s 30 years old. You also have a big money on Turk Wharton. He has, I think it’s 16 or $18 million dollar. I think it’s just over $18 million cap hit coming up in 2026. You also have Bobby Brown the Third, who’s 25 years old, but didn’t quite be the run stuffer that you are hoping to be, and you have big money in Derrek Brown and some of these other young guys. If you’re trying to make space, I would, I, I would not be shocked if you see maybe Asshaun Robinson gets a one-year extension to kind of alleviate some of the cap hit. Or he might just be a flat-out cap casualty. I, I would not be surprised to see that, which, again, would then kind of weaken things out a little bit. If you let Ashaun Robinson go, it might necessitate bringing back LeBrian Ray. In, in some ways, you kind of wonder, I, I kind of wondered what Cam Jackson would have looked like if he played. I mean, he was inactive a lot. Of the season, but he also, he, he also made a huge play at Tampa Bay when he blocked the field goal. So like he, he shows, and that’s a tall guy too. Like you see him in the locker room. I mean he’s big, but he’s also very tall. Um, probably if he was a little bit slimmer, could be a defensive end or, you know, uh, outside, uh, linebacker, um. Yeah, that’s, I, I’m with you. You know, if, if there’s a casualty that has to be there, is, uh, Ahaun Robinson. It’s not because I don’t like him. It’s just more so like, you know, who do you, who’s the oldest and who has the least value moving forward? It’ll, it would be him, you know, side of it. It’s, it’s more so the business part of it. I wanna see what Bobby Brown, uh, can do. I wanna see what, uh, Turk Wharton can do. Hopefully he can stay healthy, you know, that was the probably the, the thing that was, um, most disappointing for him this year. Because he wasn’t healthy a lot, but other than that, um, I’m, I’m 100% with you, but that there’s a lot of money on that front line. But the Panthers needed it though. They did. They spent a lot of money there. Again, Asshaun Robinson, it’s just a simple, just, it’s just a math thing. That’s really what it comes down to at that point. And every team deals with it. It’s a tough decision to make. By the way, Ashaun Robinson, great dude in the locker room, talked to him. Before, a couple of times, also, if there’s ever a fight, I’m on his side. I’m on his side. I don’t care if he did something wrong. I’m on his side. If we become like as big as I show speed, right, we’re doing the Panthers podcast and we need bodyguards and he is ready to retire. Hey Sean, my man, what up though? Hey bro, we need you to defend us, please. That we do, that we do throw them dudes out of the club. All right, let’s go to the offensive side of the ball for the Carolina Panthers. There are some decisions that need to be made regarding a couple of playmakers. At least one in particular, Tri O’Dowdll at running back. I just simply don’t see him coming back. I don’t see him coming back. The guy’s going to want to get a bigger payday and I think the Carolina Panthers are willing to do. I don’t see, I, I agree with that, but I’m also not sure if another NFL team is going to want to give him maybe the money and role that he’s looking for. The NFL, I mean, it’s been like this for a while, but like the NFL is not looking to pay running backs a lot unless you’re just really that top guy. And if you, if people look at Rico Dowdell’s season. It could be easy to poke holes there because when you went against Dallas, when you get, went against Miami, and they didn’t know you were coming, right? They, they were more so probably expecting Chuba and also expecting power and not zone. Look what you did when teams got a couple of weeks to adjust. Look what you did. You still had a few good games after that. Not saying that you’re not a, a good player. I do want to see somebody with the number 5 jersey stick around with the Carolina Panthers for at least 2 years though, so that everybody who wears a 5 is just gone. DJ Johnson, but that’s OK. That was fine. We’re OK with that. Uh, Deonte, Deonte, sorry, Deonte Johnson, um, and then, uh, who, who was the other. Visca Channaults and other folks did, did, uh, did Teddy wear 5? I think he did actually so it’s a few guys, but, uh, I, I, I put him down as a maybe because if he goes out there and doesn’t see what he’s looking for, I wouldn’t mind him being back. I don’t, I just don’t know if he’s gonna see, get what he’s looking for, and he knows that he can have success here. May not have another 1000 yard season, especially if Chuba is healthy and if Jonathan Brooks is healthy and he’s looking good. So, that might be an issue. But I also would wanna have somebody there as a just in case because we don’t know what we’re getting from Jonathan Brooks. So whether it’s uh him coming back, free agent or we’re drafting somebody, I do think there still needs to be somebody. either needs to be Rico Dowdell or somebody replaces Rico Dowd in that, in that running back room. The free agent running back list is pretty deep. I’ll, I’ll pull it up here in just a second, but you talk about Rico Dowdell in the 3 games between the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins. His total yards in those 3 games accounted for over 44% of his total yards on the season in those 3 games. Also, his number of touches in those 3 games was about 31, 32%. Of his total touches. So again, I’m factoring total touches and total yards. So receiving, rushing, the whole bit. So again, that’s a big chunk of your season came in 3 games. Now, he was the reason why they won those 3 games, like the primary reason. But if again, if I’m, if I’m negotiating a contract, I’m saying, hey, look, like, yeah, you’re great in these 3 games. What’d you do the rest of the year? Like, again, that’s, that’s again, the business side of things. So you look at guys like, I know JK Dobbins is a free agent this upcoming year. I remember it correctly, Kenneth Walker the 3rd is an upcoming free agent as well this upcoming season. Travis ETN is also an upcoming free agent. There’s actually a pretty deep list of running backs that are available. Actually, I’ll go ahead and pull this up, Chris, but as you mentioned, the, the Jonathan Brooks part of the equation is actually the biggest one of it all is because Dan Morgan has to sit there and think about who he thinks Jonathan Brooks can be coming off of these ACL tears. Jonathan Brooks hasn’t played meaningful football. And by mean meaningful football, I mean like consecutive games, getting a lot of snaps since he was in college in 2023 because he only played three games, limited snaps in his first year and obviously he didn’t play anything this last year. So there’s a lot of, a lot of questions, but you could potentially, I don’t know if you want to draft somebody or not, but just take a look here at the, the free agents that are available at running back this offseason. Bruce Hall, Kenneth Walker, the 3rd, Travis Etienne, Devonte Williams, JK Dobbins, Tyler Algier, Kenneth Gamewell, Rashad White, Isaiah Pacheco, Bryan Robinson Jr. Some names that I mean that there’s, I mean, I good names, yeah, so I mean Rico Do is gonna have to compete in that. Maybe you find him for or someone like that on the, on the cheaper side potentially. And out of those names, you know, I don’t, again, I don’t want him, I don’t want the Panthers to go for a splash, but if you were to splash on a running back, I’d do Kenneth Walker. But yeah, I don’t see that. I don’t think they have the money to spend on it though. I don’t think they’re gonna do it. So again with Rico, with all of those names that you mentioned. I think a lot of those names, you know, team will make other teams more excited than Rico and how many of those running backs are gonna actually get paid. So his best opportunity might be back with the Carolina Panthers. So if that is the case, I’m open for it. If he’s, if he’s itching to go, that’s fine. You can go, you know what I’m saying. Also wouldn’t mind Devonta Williams if he’s willing to come in. Uh, on, on a, on a decent salary. So, you know, it’s, there’s, there’s some guys that’s out there that who can, you know, take that spot. But, you know, if, if Rico wants to run it back, I’m open for him to run it back. They, I just, I just don’t think they can afford to pay for a running back, at least not expensive. Well, that’s the caveat in everything I’m saying. He’s not, he’s, you’re not, he’s not getting a raise. He’s not getting, that’s the caveat in everything I’m saying, like, especially the, the ones I have coming back. You’re coming back for a, a particular price, either cheaper or about the same level that you were, you know, and like, can he get more money from another team possibly. But also he can get an incentive-laden contract from the Carolina Panthers like he did off of another 1000 yard season. So like, he can, they can offer him the same amount of money and it wouldn’t be a, a, a slap in the face at all for a one-year deal, for a one-year deal. We shall see. I just don’t see him coming back. I just don’t see him coming back. There is also questions about the offensive line. And I think there are, if I remember correctly, 5 potential free agents for the offensive line this upcoming offseason because Brady Christiansen was on a 1-year deal. Cade Mays is on a, uh, his, his contract expired. Josh Niman as well. Austin Corbett, yeah, so Brady Christiansen, Jan, Jay Curhan. So yeah, there’s 5 guys. And there are also big-time question marks upfront because is Cade Mays at center going to be priced out because you never know, he might get offered somewhere 8 $10.12 million dollars from another team potentially because that’s kind of like the mid-level market for an average starting center. Does Carolina pay that? Because you also got to look at the Ikey Akwane injury that changes the entire conversation when it comes to what you got to do with the offensive line. I got to make sure before I even go into the draft that I have at least someone I can know that could potentially start for me at left tackle, which to me necessitates at least you bring back Josh Neiman at a minimum, at a minimum. That’s where I was starting. Like that’s, that’s where it starts. Like this. The Ikey Awanu injury was probably good news for Josh Niman if, if he wanted to stay in Charlotte and if he wanted some type of stability with the system that he understands and has been in for the last 2 years. I think that’s where you start because I just need, I need my backup plan before I even get to the, to the draft 100% with you. I would not be shocked, by the way, if they also draft an offensive tackle this year as well. Like like day two, I would not be surprised. I, I went to look at see, seeing who are like the big-time centers. Tyler Linderbaum is gonna be the big one, on the market, and you kind of wonder. Um, with the center position issues with our friends over there in LA and the Chargers. If Tyler Linderbaum is gonna be the, obviously the first one, off the board at a huge price, maybe higher than that 10-12 that you were talking about earlier, and, uh, and then maybe if everything just kind of gets muddy after that, so maybe the Carolina Panthers can bring back Cade Mays. Either way, I want to see Cade Mays come back if they can make it happen, right. Um, because Tyler Linderbaum is, is gonna get some cash. And boy, I mean, Justin Herbert, feel bad for you, but the same thing happened to Bryce when who was in front of him? Bradley Braley Bozeman. So sorry, sorry about that, uh, Justin Herbert, it’s, it’s, it’s really bad. Um, I have maybes on Corbett, Christensen, and Curhan. It’s, it’s really just about what they can get. I feel like Christensen is somebody who could possibly come back because of the injury and injury, you know, like what, what, you know, I know they’re comfortable with him, and when he’s in, he plays valuable minutes. So what is he going to, uh, get on the open market? You could probably get a deal for him for if you’re the Carolina Panthers. Take him into training camp and just see what happens. Honestly, because of the injury, it would not be shocked if you can bring him back on a one-year pretty low-value deal, which if that’s fine. I’m 100% fine with that. A lot of these, when I, when I’m talking about the guys who are coming back, let me just specify this. The guys who I, we have coming back from our roster, a lot of these for me. In my head, these are like 1-year deals. These aren’t like anything like you’re coming back for next year and then we’re gonna see after next year if you’re gonna come back again. So yeah, a good, a nice little, he was here on a 1-year deal, another 1-year deal, probably cheaper for the one that you brought him back on because of the injury, like a veteran minimum, like here’s 1 million or whatever it is, 1.1, however much it costs for Brady Christensen. I’m 100% OK with that because again, Coming off of the Achilles injury, you just don’t know. You just simply, it’s just, it’s such a severe injury. Now, there are potential ways that the Carolina Panthers could save some money with the could save some money potentially on the offensive side of things. I would not be surprised if they try and look and, I mean, Dan Morgan has said himself, adding some sort of playmaker on offense, some sort of speed guy, someone that could take a five-yard pass and turn it into a, a touchdown. Like, for example, like when we saw the Buffalo Bills play at Bank of America Stadium, remember Khalil Shaqir taking a pass about 6 yards downfield, caught it at the 50-yard line, and all of a sudden about 5 seconds later, he’s walking in the end zone. You’re like, wait a second. Panthers don’t have that guy. Now, there is a potential that they could cap casualty. Tommy Tremble, knowing you have Jatavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans, and then maybe try and find another tight end or you could try and find in the wide receiver market, whether it’s via draft or free agency or both. But it wouldn’t surprise me if they try and go potentially free agent route to bring in somebody that can add a speed element to that offense other than Jimmy Horn Junior. Other than just him. People are like, well, we got Jimmy Horn Junior. You need more than just one. Outside linebacker and wide receiver are the two areas I feel like you can make a splash. I didn’t say my, my names for outside linebacker earlier, really quick. Um, Trey Hendrickson, of course, Jalen Phillips, those are the ones that if you’re gonna make a splash, I think those are worth making a splash for. But wide receiver, I wrote down a few names, and I think they all kind of fit the bill for what exactly we’re looking for. Somebody who’s, uh, a potential home run, uh, hitter who can get you, uh, big yards. Uh, sure hands for the most part. And then also, um, you know, the, the, these different guys have different play styles. Uh, so some are like, you know, hey, we’re, I’m gonna beat everybody 50 yards down the field and I’m gonna catch it. Some are like, hey, I’m gonna catch it within 4 yards and everybody’s gonna be hanging on to me. So Alec Pierce from Indiana, uh, Indianapolis, excuse me, um, he’s a guy to, to potentially look at. Here’s a guy that’s been a, a bane of our existence for a little bit as the Carolina Panthers, Rasheed Shaheed you were gonna say it. If you can’t beat them, join them. Yeah, bring them on. And, you know what, I feel like if you have a package where you have, um, Rasheed Shaheed out there with Tederoy McMillan in the slot, Jalen Coker on the other side, and you’ve got a running back in the backfield with Jimmy Horn Junior doing some orbit motion and stuff like that with the Carolina Panthers. I’m getting excited thinking about it, man. Oh my God, Dennis. Oh my God. He might just be too expensive. I know he might be too expensive. It’s, it’s a thing. It’s a pipe dream. You also see what he does in the kick return game. Let’s not forget that touchdown he scored on the opening kickoff of the, of the divisional. He made himself some money with that one too. The last two I wrote down, um, because I, I figured Rasheed Shaheed will be too expensive. Maybe Romeo Dobbs from, uh, Green Bay, Green Bay. And then here’s the last one, all right. The Panthers have shown they like these Carolina reunions. One-year deal for Debo Samuel. OK. Like Quick five-yard threat. That could possibly break a bunch of tackles and take it, you know what I’m saying? Like. Again, that same package minus Rasheed Shaheed, you put Debo Samuel there and you’re still giving the defense a lot to think about right there because if we’re gonna send everybody else out and you’re gonna have You know, uh, uh, Debo kind of outgoing, you know, 56 yards or whatever, like, man, do I run with Tedderoy McMillan? Do I keep some eyes right here and potentially have Tederoya McMillan like pass me and Bryce can toss it up to him because I’m keeping an eye on Debo Samuel, or do I just go with Tet and then maybe they end up heading to, uh, to, uh, Debo Samuel and he just ends up taking it another 15 yards before he’s even touched. You know, who knows what’s gonna end up happening, uh, with that. So I mean, it’s, I, I, I think it’s, he’s, he’s somebody to at least kick the tires with. Yeah, something to think about as well. I would not bring him back home. I would not hate to see someone like that in the offense. But also, again, don’t be surprised if they try and upgrade at tight end. You have some guys like Isaiah Likely, Kyle Pitts, Dallas Goddardt. Like there’s some guys at tight end that you could potentially, because if you don’t splash a wide receiver or outside linebacker. Go get Kyle Pitts. That’s the only other one that I feel like is a for sure splash because that also like the passing game, even if you don’t get that big receiver, you got Kyle Pitts that helps you out with that. It almost like takes care of like two birds with one stone in a way. The Panthers have lacked someone that could work the middle of the field. In the passing game as a tight end. Whether it’s stretching down the seam. We’ve seen some flashes from Jatavion Sanders. He has the athletic ability, but we’re just waiting to see that pop. If you can make an upgrade there potentially. I, again, on the aggregate, what the tight end group did, if I remember correctly, was 75 catches for just under 700 yards and I think 5 touchdowns, I think between the two. I’m sorry, between the three guys of Mitchell Evans, Tommy Trimble, Jatavion Sanders. On the aggregate, it’s not bad. But You want, you want that to be from one guy and then you have the guy that catches 40 passes as the supplemental guy. No, no, no tight end for the Panthers had more than 30 catches or, or, you know, 300 yards this, this past season. Some of that is. Yeah, some of it’s that too. Again, I, there are a lot of different areas where this Carolina Panthers team can upgrade. Special teams-wise, bring back Sam Martin, bring back JJ Jansen. That’s. No notes. Yeah, no notes. Sam Martin, JJ, love you guys. No notes. No notes at all when it comes to that. Who do you want on this Panthers team? Who do you want back? Who do you want this team to sign? There’s free agency coming up. We didn’t say the obvious thing. What’s that? Sign Jalen Coker. Oh well, I mean, no, yeah, he’s a restricted free agent. That’s, that’s with exclusive rights, so they could just be, they could offer him just a little bit, but don’t do that. I would say, you know, you could give him 2 or 3-year deal, incentive laden, take care of him, like try to lock him up for a little bit, you know what I’m saying? Um, do like they do in the NHL, which is what they call a bridge deal that gets you through restricted free agency, yeah, that, yeah, because. If you can keep it cost prohibitive with Jalen Coker, again, still take care of the guy, but you can keep it cost prohibitive similar to what other rookies are making, that’s only gonna allow you to spend for the next couple of years on other spots of what you need. Also, uh, Bryson Tremaine, yes, no, I have him down as a maybe. He’s a maybe for me. Maybe, yeah, maybe. Who do you want? Let us know in the comment section. Big shout out to our sponsor at Panthers Playbook, Wake Orthopedics. Again, every Thursday. Sorry, what? Can we give DJ, I’m sorry, David Moore, the DJ Johnson treatment? Canales Canales. Canales. That’s what I want, at least. Am I wrong? No. Again, every Thursday, we got episodes for you all.
