\u201cIt\u2019s really important just to fill out your roster and add that depth and competition that I talked about before,\u201d Morgan added. \u201cSo one-year deals, guys we think can help our team immediately, guys that are gonna compete and just add depth and competition to different position groups.\u201d<\/p>\n
A month before the draft, The Athletic examines Carolina\u2019s current roster, where the remaining needs are and how the free-agency moves will impact draft plans.<\/p>\n
(Returning players who signed new deals with the Panthers are listed in italics. Players on the roster last season who have yet to sign elsewhere in free agency are noted with an asterisk.)<\/p>\n
Quarterback<\/p>\n
Returning: Bryce Young<\/p>\n
Added: Kenny Pickett<\/p>\n
Gone: Andy Dalton<\/p>\n
Level of need: Low<\/p>\n
The Panthers did not try to mask their intentions at QB2, with Morgan signaling at the end of the season that he hoped to find a younger and more mobile quarterback to back up Young. After signing Pickett to a one-year, $4 million contract<\/a>, Morgan traded Dalton to Philadelphia for the Eagles\u2019 seventh-round pick in 2027. The Panthers evaluated other options, such as Zach Wilson and Trey Lance. Yet, coach Dave Canales was high on Pickett after spending time with him before the 2022 draft. \u201cI think mobility is big in this league,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cSo adding a guy like Kenny Pickett (who) can move outside the pocket if he needs to, create with his legs if he needs to, those are all things that were really intriguing to us.\u201d<\/p>\n Running back<\/p>\n Returning: Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, Trevor Etienne<\/p>\n Added: AJ Dillon<\/p>\n Gone: Rico Dowdle<\/p>\n Level of need: Moderate<\/p>\n Whether the Panthers view running back as a moderate or low need depends on their confidence that Brooks can regain his pre-injury form after missing last season following a second ACL surgery on his right knee. Morgan expressed optimism about Brooks at the combine and again last week, but did not offer a timeline for his return. Etienne was primarily a return specialist as a rookie, but Morgan believes the 2025 fourth-round pick is \u201cone of those rising stars in this league.\u201d Dillon was buried on the Eagles\u2019 depth chart last year after missing the 2024 season with a neck injury. Dillon, who is 6-foot, 247 pounds, could be a short-yardage specialist.<\/p>\n \n AJ Dillon had three 600-plus yard rushing seasons with Green Bay before missing the 2024 season and being limited last season in Philadelphia. (Vincent Carchietta \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n Wide receiver<\/p>\n Returning: Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Jimmy Horn Jr., David Moore, Brycen Tremayne, Dan Chisena<\/p>\n Added: John Metchie<\/p>\n Level of need: Low<\/p>\n Coker and Tremayne were exclusive rights free agents. It was a no-brainer to tender both, considering Coker has surpassed Legette as WR2 and Tremayne\u2019s value on special teams and as a blocker in the run game. Metchie was a 1,100-yard receiver and caught eight touchdowns at Alabama in 2021 during Young\u2019s Heisman Trophy-winning season. He sat out his rookie season after being diagnosed with leukemia and hasn\u2019t had much production since. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t been as consistent as he\u2019s wanted to be,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cBut there\u2019s a lot of upside there.\u201d Depending on how the board falls, it\u2019s not out of the question that Morgan takes a first-round receiver for the third straight year.<\/p>\n Tight end<\/p>\n Returning: Tommy Tremble, Ja\u2019Tavion Sanders, Mitchell Evans, James Mitchell<\/p>\n Added: Feleipe Franks<\/p>\n Level of need: Moderate<\/p>\n The Panthers haven\u2019t had a big-time receiving threat since Greg Olsen left for Seattle after the 2019 season. That\u2019s a long stretch that could end in April if Oregon\u2019s Kenyon Sadiq somehow slipped to 19. He almost certainly won\u2019t, though Morgan could still dip into a deep tight end class later in the draft weekend.<\/p>\n Offensive line<\/p>\n Returning: Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton, Chandler Zavala, Nick Samac<\/p>\n Added: Luke Fortner, Rasheed Walker, Stone Forsythe<\/p>\n Gone: Cade Mays, Yosh Nijman, *Austin Corbett, *Brady Christensen, *Jake Curhan<\/p>\n Level of need: Moderate<\/p>\n The Panthers were hoping to bring back Nijman as the temporary replacement for Ekwonu at left tackle before the 30-year-old retired<\/a>, a move Morgan said caught the organization \u201ca little off guard.\u201d Morgan quickly pivoted to Walker, signing the former Green Bay Packers starter to a one-year, $4 million deal<\/a>, a bargain compared to Walker\u2019s market projections. Given the uncertainty around Ekwonu\u2019s return from patellar tendon surgery and that Moton is showing some wear and tear as he prepares for his age-32 season, drafting a tackle at 19 seems like a smart bet.<\/p>\n \n Rasheed Walker made at least 15 starts in each of the past three seasons with the Packers. (Jeff Hanisch \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n Defensive line<\/p>\n Returning: Derrick Brown, Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, Cam Jackson, LaBryan Ray<\/p>\n Gone: A\u2019Shawn Robinson<\/p>\n Level of need: Moderate<\/p>\n The Panthers will have to replace the production they lost in A\u2019Shawn Robinson, a salary-cap casualty who combined for 145 tackles and eight sacks in two seasons. They\u2019re hoping Wharton can stay healthy after he missed eight games in 2025 after signing a three-year, $45 million contract. With Robinson gone, the gigantic Jackson (6-foot-6, 328 pounds) should get a longer look than he did as a rookie.<\/p>\n Outside linebacker<\/p>\n Returning: Patrick Jones II, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson, Thomas Incoom<\/p>\n Added: Jaelan Phillips, Nick Hampton<\/p>\n Gone: D.J. Wonnum<\/p>\n Level of need: Low<\/p>\n![\"Philadelphia](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27286620-scaled.jpg\")
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