TheSpecialJuan

Jalen Coker CARWide Receiver#18 Panthers tendered exclusive rights free agent Jalen Coker. Carolina also tendered fellow ERFA Brycen Tremayne. Coker missed time early in the season and struggled to find his footing over the first few months of the season. He picked up momentum down the stretch and ended the season on a high note with a career-high 134 yards and a touchdown on nine catches in the Wild Card Round. Head coach Dave Canales gave him a vote of confidence after the season by calling him the team’s No. 2 receiver. While Carolina’s run-first approach makes Coker a middling fantasy option, keeping him around on a cheap contract as the clear WR2 was an easy call for the Panthers.

Free agency episode Great stuff here Panther targets: Joseph Ossai, Connor McGovern, Kaden Elliss, Devin Lloyd

LB Christian Rozeboom Age: 29 When the Panthers brought in Rozeboom on a one-year deal last winter, the idea was that he would be a core special teams player and back up Josey Jewell. But when Jewell was released in July to focus on his health, Rozeboom immediately became a full-time starter. The former Ram responded with a team-leading 122 tackles over 15 starts, but was a liability in coverage. The sense from some in league circles is that Morgan will pay an off-ball linebacker in free agency. But that wouldn’t preclude the Panthers from bringing Rozeboom back in the role they originally envisioned for him. Verdict: Staying

OT Yosh Nijman Age: 30 Rank: 108 Nijman’s importance to the Panthers increased in January when left tackle Ikem Ekwonu ruptured his patellar tendon in the first quarter of the wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. At a minimum, the Panthers need a dependable tackle for at least part of the 2026 season while Ekwonu recovers. They could do worse than the 6-7, 314-pound Nijman, who’s a powerful run blocker but not as consistent while pass blocking. Pairing Nijman with a highly drafted tackle seems like a sensible way to address the position for the short and long terms. Verdict: Staying

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7082018/2026/03/03/panthers-free-agent-predictions-cade-mays-rico-dowdle/

C Cade Mays Age: 26 Rank on The Athletic’s free agent list: 38 The Panthers want Mays back after he started a career-high 12 games in 2025. But given that Mays is the third-highest ranked center on The Athletic’s list of the top 150 free agents — behind the Baltimore Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum (sixth) and the Buffalo Bills’ Connor McGovern (24th) — Morgan may find the bidding too high. The Panthers already are investing a lot in the interior line with Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, who’s a candidate to be extended. Will Morgan want to spend $8 million a year on a center? Verdict: Going RB Rico Dowdle Age: 27 Rank: 53 Dowdle bet on himself last offseason and cashed in by rushing for 1,000 yards for the second consecutive year and hitting on nearly all of his incentives. The former Dallas Cowboys back is looking for a multiyear deal, preferably with a team where he won’t have to share the carries. The Panthers are content rolling with Chuba Hubbard as their workhorse, and want to see what they have in Trevor Etienne and Jonathon Brooks, who’s returning from his second ACL surgery. Verdict: Going

Kyler Murray FAQuarterback#1 Cardinals released QB Kyler Murray. It became a fait accompli that this would happen after no team wanted to pick up Kyler Murray’s guarantees in 2027. The Cardinals will eat $54 million in dead cap space assuming Murray is not designated a post-June 1 release. The veteran quickly becomes the most competent quarterback on the market, and the fact that he can play with salary offsets ala Russell Wilson after his Broncos release means he may be available for the minimum. The Vikings and Falcons are the most plausible fits if Murray wants to rehabilitate his value on a deal like that.

"I wouldn’t read too much into [Dan] Morgan’s comments about [Bradley] Chubb, the fifth pick in 2018 who turns 30 this summer and is just two years removed from ACL surgery. Is Chubb a possibility for the Panthers? Sure. But the sense here is he’s not the top option." - Joe Person, The Athletic

Tale as old as time Song as old as rhyme Beauty and the beast

CB Michael Jackson, Carolina Panthers Last offseason, the Panthers re-signed Jackson to a contract that averages just $5.25 million across the two years of his deal, which ranks only 40th among cornerbacks. However, Jackson rewarded Carolina with an excellent season, as his 83.5 PFF overall grade was the third-best among cornerbacks across the entire year. More specifically, from Week 7 on, his 90.7 PFF overall grade led all players at the position, as did his 91.4 PFF coverage grade. In addition, he also allowed a passer rating of just 42.8 during this period, which paced all corners. Jackson capped off his 2025 campaign by being the best player on the field in Carolina’s wild-card loss to the Rams. On eight targets, he gave up just one reception while forcing four incompletions and recording an interception as well https://www.pff.com/news/biggest-free-agent-bargains-of-the-2025-nfl-season-sam-darnold-mike-jackson-and-more

RB Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers Dowdle signed a textbook example of a “prove-it” type of deal with Carolina during the 2025 offseason. The former Dallas Cowboys runner signed a one-year deal that was worth just $2.75 million, which ranked only 33rd among the annual average earnings of all running backs — essentially meaning that he was not paid as a starter for last season. However, that did not stop Dowdle from racking up the 14th-most rushing yards among running backs with 1,076 during the regular season. Further, Dowdle was essential over a five-week stretch between Weeks 5-9 when the Panthers went 4-1 — recording half of their wins during the entire season over that window. During this period, his 652 rushing yards led all running backs, with the gap between him and the second player (Jonathan Taylor) being the equivalent to the gap between Taylor and the 10th running back. In addition, Dowdle’s 85.0 PFF rushing grade also led the league during this period. Despite not being paid as a starter, Dowdle had a huge impact on the Panthers during a crucial time of the season

I was just a kid in ’95, but I still remember watching this on TV. It brings back a lot of memories. I’m in California, and honestly, I think I originally became a Panthers fan because I thought their logo and jersey combo was the coolest thing I’d ever seen.

It makes sense to let all of our UFAs test the market—none of them are true “must-re-sign” players. We’d like to have Cade Mays back, but he gave us average play at center last season, and that’s a position the team can realistically look to upgrade

https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/panthers/2026/03/02/nfl-news-rumors-panthers-hall-of-fame-game/88951350007/

Per Bill Barnwell: Lloyd will be a difficult evaluation for some teams. In 2024, Lloyd struggled so badly that the Jaguars really should have considered benching their 2022 first-round pick. There wasn't a great effort level from him on tape, and he looked like he wasn't up to the standards of being a starting-caliber linebacker. It was easy for the new Jags regime to decline his fifth-year option. And then in 2025, Lloyd was a different player. He racked up five picks, including that pick-six of Patrick Mahomes that fueled a famous Jags victory. The effort concerns disappeared. Lloyd managed 1.5 sacks and 10 knockdowns as a blitzer. He wasn't a great run defender, as Lloyd took longer to make tackles on run plays (5.1 seconds) than any regular off-ball linebacker in the league and made both run tackles and stuffs at below-average rates. But Lloyd was impactful enough against the pass to earn a deserved trip to the Pro Bowl. The real Lloyd is likely somewhere in between. It's tough to imagine him racking up five interceptions per year, although Lloyd managed three as a rookie. Most players didn't really put their best forward playing out the string for a hopeless 2024 Jags team. I'd want to make sure Lloyd was in the right spot on a competitive team, but he can be a valuable player on a defense https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47994520/2026-nfl-free-agency-best-players-available-defense-contract-tiers-market-barnwell

Austin Corbett is not expected back with Panthers

This

I like Chenal, he’s elite run defender. What our defense needs is a 3-down LB that can cover. Lloyd is exactly what we’re looking for

https://x.com/jared_nfldraft/status/2028129302756102333?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA more on RB position

Fowler and Graziano: Some teams anticipate Panthers center Cade Mays could make $8 million per year on a new deal. https://x.com/panthersontap/status/2028100785439981936?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

Jeremy Fowler: Don’t be surprised if Carolina makes some big moves on defense. Mentions Devin Lloyd as an ideal fit in the middle. https://x.com/panthersontap/status/2028101193394713026?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

https://www.pff.com/news/2026-nfl-draft-the-ideal-haul-for-every-team-in-the-first-three-rounds

Carolina Panthers: EDGE Akheem Mesidor, LB Jake Golday, C Jake Slaughter The Panthers made the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but their defense needs major retooling at several levels. Carolina slotted 30th in pass-rush win rate at edge defender last year, and while Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen flashed, the team could use an instant-impact starter like Mesidor (92.5 PFF pass-rush grade). Further, Golday (82.4 overall PFF grade) could develop into a multi-year starter for a linebacker unit seeking growth. The Panthers don’t face many key free-agent losses, but the team could be in demand for interior offensive line with both Austin Corbett and Cade Mays hitting the market. Slaughter earned a 79.3 overall PFF grade or better in both of the last two years, and his 86.0 PFF zone-blocking grade would align with Dave Canales’ offense