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If you look at our depth chart, this has to be at the top of the primary needs list. Outside of a true rangy FS that balances Moehrig, I don't see any other "immediate" needs for 2026. Beyond this year, figuring out C, OT, TE1 and WR3 and probably CB2 (are we going to pay Jaycee and Mike Jack?) are on my radar. My list at 19 (in no order) : Freeling Thieneman McNeil-Warren McDonald Miller Sadiq I think CB is also low key going to be a selection earlier than anticipated...Chris Johnson on day 2 fits what we're looking for, IMO and he balled out at the combine. The salaries we just took on and BY9 coming up, I struggle to believe Mike Jack is a Panther next year.

Walker is a 1 year signing. Stone is a 1 year. BC is coming back from an Achilles injury. Typically takes 2 years to get back to full health, but he's also better inside than at tackle. Yosh retired. Moton will have 1 year remaining on his contract and he's already admitted knee issues. That's banking on a whole lot of nothing at the end of this upcoming season. As far as challenging Bryce, a challenge can come from any round. It's about finding the right QB with the physical and mental talent that fits the system. Wilson, Dak, Purdy, Brady. Just a few examples of non 1st round QBs that were able to challenge the starters. Another QB doesn't necessarily have to beat out Bryce, but we should be looking for another starting caliber QB. It's not like Bryce has set the bar so high it's unattainable. The bar is low. The goal is playoffs. Do we throw away a season if Bryce gets hurt, because KP is taking us nowhere. Dan has made some great signings this FA period, I give him that. But replacing Dalton with KP is not aggressively improving our QB room. It's at best a lateral move. This is all about getting better. But this is yet another move that makes it even less conspiracy theory, and more reality, that Bryce is being protected from any real adversity in our QB room.

Oh I think it will be. My point was that we need to be trying to get better in the QB room. KP doesn't do that. He's not going to be a long term plan with a 1 year contract. He's just insurance. This "should" be a make or break year for Bryce. Either He's a guy worthy of an extension or not. Bringing in a rookie number 2 with potential may net us nothing, or it could get us something. The one thing we can be certain of is KP gets us nothing and that's not a good position to be in. I don't want to go into next year with no number 2, Bryce not having developed I to a real QB1, and sitting at 12 or 15 needing to move up to take a QB in the draft just like we did for Bryce. It's not an outcome I see going well for us.

Well it hasn't paid off in 3 years - so let's double down and give him 2 more years of replacement level play, eh?

I've been screaming for DE for months. Forbidden topic indeed.

Great post! Now that I think on it, I think D line might be our biggest need. We are one player away from having a potential disastrous defensive line. Brown and Wharton struggled last year and Wharton has really only been a rotational player that specializes in one thing. Can we count on him being a full time starter? Jackson is unproven. Do you want a starting defensive line of Wharton, Brown and Jackson? I don’t want to risk it. I honestly don’t think linebacker is that big of a need. If Rozeboom ends up coming back then why get a LB? games are won in the trenches and I would honestly prefer us drafting an offensive or defensive linemen over any other position in the first. The prospect you mentioned seems like a good prospect who has had some good production as well. Only problem is defensive line is a position that can take time for a player to develop. Will whoever we draft be ready this season ?

Have they though? I'll give you KC with Kelce, but c'mon, they weren't winning those SB's because they had a great TE, it was a combination of Mahomes and some great defenses. Will also give you the 49ers and Ravens with Kittle and Andrews, but even then, both have missed time with injuries the last few years. After those 3 teams, the best teams of the last 2-3 years have not had elite TEs The Eagles had Goedert, he's good, not great. The Bills have also had good but not great TE's The Rams have had average TEs and still consistently run 2 and 3 TE sets with them and still win. The Bucs have been winning the South without a great TE The Lions' Laporta is more a name than a highly productive TE. The Texans have had a serviceable TE in Shultz, but nothing too amazing. Some of the best TE's in the league the last few years have been on some of the worst teams. McBride, Bowers, Warren, Njoku, even Pitts this past year. A true elite TE is absolutely a weapon in today's game, but I think the best teams use that money elsewhere and find serviceable TE play, usually through a committee where each TE brings something else to the table.

When it comes to evaluating talent, the equation is actually pretty simple. If you're elite in both the measurable traits (size, speed, strength) and the mental side (IQ, instincts), you're looking at a Hall of Fame trajectory—assuming injuries don't derail you. If you're elite in one area but just decent in the other, you can still carve out a Pro Bowl career. Decent in both? That's your typical NFL starter. But here's where it gets tricky—and where a lot of athletes, especially the ones who dominate practices, find their ceiling. If you're not a starter and you don't excel on special teams, you won't last in this league. The roster math is unforgiving. That "what if" game has been playing out in Carolina for a while now, especially at wide receiver. You've got guys who light it up in practice—everything looks smooth, natural, effortless. But when the lights come on and the defense throws a look they haven't seen on tape, the processing slows down. The game speeds up. And when they have to think instead of just react, they crumble. That's the danger. Put a player like that on the field—any position, really—and expect him to process on the fly, and you're setting him up to fail. Now factor in that he was a top-10 pick, not some late-round flier or UDFA. A franchise invested everything in him. They moved pieces around, changed coaching, changed systems—tried everything to help him succeed. But here's the reality check: if he's out there, remember that the guys lining up across from him are also getting paid millions. And their job is to find that weakness and exploit it every single snap.

I think he'd make a good QB spy role in those mobile QB games, like Chicago. Just send him at Caleb every play.

#Panthers Jaelan Phillips: four years, $120 million, $80M gtd, $60M fully gtd, $20M inj gtd. $35M signing bonus APY: $30M Salaries $1.215M, $22.51M, $28.75M, $28.75M

#Panthers Jaelan Phillips: four years, $120 million, $80M gtd, $60M fully gtd, $20M inj gtd. $35M signing bonus APY: $30M Salaries $1.215M, $22.51M, $28.75M, $28.75M

Top 2026 Edge Defender Cash 1. Micah Parsons, $40.8M 2. Jaelan Phillips, $36.2M 3. Danielle Hunter, $32.5M 4. T.J. Watt, $32M 5. Myles Garrett, $31.5M https://x.com/spotrac/status/2033192083507577265?s=46

https://x.com/aaronwilson_nfl/status/2033195458147840084?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

Great post. 5 different playbooks in 5 seasons then there’s the fact they wanted him to play multiple positions including edge? that’s got to be insane imagine having to have to learn basically every position on defense except DT. How can you ever focus to get good at just one position? Then on top of that he had to learn a new playbook every season? on top of that I bet coaches dealt with a lot of uncertainty on the roster with him. Wondering where they put him, having to compete with people that only do one or two positions. I bet he was also overlooked on depth charts cause he was never decided on what position he was. all those changes could really hamper a player. I’m not saying he’s going to be a star here but who knows what could happen when he stays on the same team with the same staff and playbook for more than one year.

. If he can be a great special teamer and we can at least use him in special roles on defense where he can make a big impact then I’m fine with that, I think that’s a win for a player who’s probably on a vet min deal. If we can somehow get him to be more than that then that’s a big win. While the odds are against him, it’s very possible that he puts it together here with a different coach/system. There’s been plenty of players who’s put it together later in their careers. He was on 2 bad teams that seem to be horribly coached as well. There’s a big possibility he wasn’t coached up or used to his strengths. I know people look at him as a scrub but it looks like he never missed a game in his career, playing 89 games, it looks like he started the majority of those games too. So he must not be horrible if two different teams would let him play for 3 entire seasons for them. no I’m not saying that means he’s good, but he’s at least a solid back up with lots of experience and he’s in his prime.

For a DT on THAT defense, that is unreal.

Yeah, and people are starting to mock him to us at 19.

One could fall, but doubtful. I am thinking a free agent who can't find a home or a player who is cut after the draft--something like that. The draft is not deep at DT. I do like the rookie I posted who could be a third round option. I love high motor DTs who can pressure the passer. After reading your post, I went to 2 mocks (Walter Football and Tankathon) to see how the DTs were falling--both had us drafting a DT at 19.)

that is it--a great athlete who has never really had to apply himself in things like preparation or developing a football I Q. just has always been way better than everyone else. There is a point and time when everyone around you is a great athlete. The point here is to take the thinking away from him. I image all the DCs who have had him have tried to "Swiss Army knife" him into a state of confusion. A confused (as opposed to reactive) player is not running 4.39. They get slower. He does not have the background or acumen to be a Swiss Army knife--like you say, he needs to "see the ball, get the ball." The point here is just that. Give him one thing to do in some situations, and he will get faster. I am not willing to take an athlete like that and say "he sucks" when there is a way to get the most out of him. That is what good coaches do. Until then, we should not label him. That is what bad coaches do.

I kinda see it as the same as any other position of arguable need. The thing is, I don't see any DT that may be available as the BPA at 19, but you never know.

Elite athlete who just isn't that good of a football player. But we may have found his sweet spot as a special teamer. No thinking, no having to read the offense and make adjustments, etc. Just take your big jumbo athlete ass and go cause a car crash.

I was literally just on eBay trying to find one unfortunately all are youth sizes listed right now

Brilliant! You should have a podcast.

hes a scrub theres my analysis

To understand why a player with all the tools to be successful in the NFL would bust is remarkably difficult. While Isaiah Simmons has had a disappointing career to this point, there is a reason he is back in Carolina. Yes, special teams are important and he does well in that role. My intent is to examine in what situations he has been successful and develop a theory about the reason he might have experienced success in some capacity vs. the times he has flopped. Is he a CB? A Safety? A LB? An Edge? No. He has been all of them at some point and has yet to settle into a position. I think the Panthers will do the same thing. I think I know (besides special teams) how they might use him effectively on defense. First, think of Simmons as a unicorn. Create a position that he does not have to fit into, but one that fits into his skill sets. I think we need to designate him as our Big Nickel, and then we need to modify that position into something of a rover, for lack of a better term. He is a hybrid--but lets not make him the hybrid, let's make the position the hybrid. Isaiah Simmons has been most effective in the NFL as a Big Nickel and on special teams, specifically in sub-packages where he can leverage his elite speed (4.39 40-yard dash) without the constant physical demands of a traditional linebacker. A big nickel is a third safety, designed to match up with the big TEs, basically, and provide better run support. Based on what I have read, Simmons is slowed when he has to know the Xs and Os and the position is focused on complex interpretations that may require adjustments in certain situations, etc. He excels in special teams, for example, because he is turned loose and he simple reacts to what he sees in front of him, it seems. I think the Panthers may create a big nickel role that turns him loose on defense. Simmons has been in the league for about 6 years and has been issued five playbooks. His position has shifted in an effort to find where he could best fit in. Getting back to basics, here is a chart that demonstrates how much more effective he was as a big nickel than a traditional LB, that required more reading blocking and run game schemes: Last season, Ransom was the big nickel, the Panthers are high on him and not looking to replace him by any means. It is my theory that Ransom will be used alongside Moehrig in some situations. He can also provide depth behind Moehrig. It is also my opinion that Simmons may not be the ideal fit for every situation involving the big nickel. Simmons could be used, for example, as a blitzing big nickel who can cover the flat and stuff the run, while Ransom may be the better lock-down TE coverage guy--I dunno. But I see Simmons playing a bigger role on D. Here is a comparison between Ransom and Simmons: Lathan Ransom: A 2025 fourth-round pick, he is viewed as a starter candidate to provide security opposite safety Tre'von Moehrig, with the Panthers high on his potential. Isaiah Simmons: Recently re-signed (March 2026), Simmons has thrived as a special teams ace but is considered a prime candidate to develop into a big nickel linebacker/safety hybrid due to his unique versatility. Context: The Panthers' defense under Ejiro Evero requires safety depth, and both players bring different strengths to that position group. Throw in Nick Scott, a pure free safety who just signed, it is starting to get a bit clearer. Does this mean we will not draft a S? Not at all. Who do we have to give depth at FS? Let's hope its Scott. It is my view that Simmons needs to find one or two things he does well on this defense and focus on that and not everything else. What are his natural talents (6'4" 238 and runs sub 4.4--who does that? Can you not make that work for you?) This tells me the problem is mental. Too many cooks in the kitchen. Instead of asking him to do everything behind the DL, let's get him to do one thing that aligns with his skill set and history of success. A situational big nickel/rover seems to be a fit.