Jeremy Fowler: Don’t be surprised if Carolina makes some big moves on defense

[CarolinaLivin]

More From the article...

• Something an NFL head coach said to me, unsolicited: "Watch for Tua [Tagovailoa] in Atlanta."

• If the Panthers lose running back Rico Dowdle in free agency, I don't think they'll rush to find an external replacement. They have Chuba Hubbard under contract, they like second-year back Trevor Etienne's promise and they're optimistic on 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks, who has played only three games in his career because of injuries. I'm told Brooks is making good progress in his rehab and was up over 21 mph on the treadmill in a recent workout. Carolina is at least hopeful that Brooks can contribute this season, though obviously, his health history will always make that a question. Wide receiver Jalen Coker could receive a contract extension in Carolina.

• Panthers center Cade Mays: Some teams anticipate he could make $8 million per year on a new deal.

• Fowler: Mike Evans will limit his choices to a handful of teams in part because of his criteria. He wants a quarterback he believes in, a chance at a Super Bowl, a top-shelf offensive coordinator and the promise of high-volume touches. Only so many teams fit that mold. The Buccaneers will aggressively pursue re-signing Evans and met with his agent, Deryk Gilmore, on Thursday.

• Teams I expect to see gauge the free agent RB market include the Chiefs, Texans and Giants, among others. Carolina's Rico Dowdle and Atlanta's Tyler Allgeier are both free agents their respective teams would consider bringing back at the right contractual price, but I expect both to get a chance to hit free agency and see if they can get starter-level money elsewhere.

• Graziano: The Falcons will release Kirk Cousins before the start of the league year, when his $67.9 million salary would become fully guaranteed under the terms of his reworked contract. Atlanta has to pay Cousins a $10 million roster bonus this year, whether he's on the team or not, but it does not appear to be interested in bringing back Cousins.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48045815/2026-nfl-combine-latest-buzz-news-rumors-free-agency-draft-qbs-trades-offseason

[flagfootballcoach28]

Devin lloyd is too expensive when you consider other alternatives that would provide us with similar production. I'd much rather have Leo Chenal. He should be much cheaper 

[strato]

34 minutes ago, flagfootballcoach28 said:

Devin lloyd is too expensive when you consider other alternatives that would provide us with similar production. I'd much rather have Leo Chenal. He should be much cheaper 

What do you think Lloyd’s price will be? 

[mrcompletely11]

3 minutes ago, strato said:

What do you think Lloyd’s price will be? 

3 years 20mill per

[strato]

5 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

3 years 20mill per

Uhh, yeah that is pretty steep. 
 

Here is where I am going to say Dan will be an asset. He will know if we can get by with a little less for a lot less.

My ideal would be get a good bona fide pro level starter and shoot for the all pro or pro bowl guy in the draft. 

[Jon Snow]

1 minute ago, strato said:

Uhh, yeah that is pretty steep. 
 

Here is where I am going to say Dan will be an asset. He will know if we can get by with a little less for a lot less.

My ideal would be get a good bona fide pro level starter and shoot for the all pro or pro bowl guy in the draft. 

Its all about the guaranteed money. 

[strato]

8 minutes ago, Jon Snow said:

Its all about the guaranteed money. 

Yeah that is true. And maybe a two year defacto commitment would cover us if we drafted and developed a couple in the next couple of years.

 

If this guy is the prize of the LB class he won’t have to settle for a glorified prove it deal. 

edit: as much as I want That Guy we are in a position where a no doubt starter level player would be a big improvement. So maybe we don’t have to have the big dog. 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by strato

[Jon Snow]

2 minutes ago, strato said:

Yeah that is true. And maybe a two year defacto commitment would cover us if we drafted and developed a couple in the next couple of years.

 

If this guy is the prize of the LB class he won’t have to settle for a glorified prove it deal. 

edit: as much as I want That Guy we are in a position where a no doubt starter level player would be a big improvement. So maybe we don’t have to have the big dog. 

 

It all depends on how it's structured. I trust Tillis with that. If he earns the full contract then he was worth it. If not then you're not on the hook for it all.

[MHS831]

1 hour ago, strato said:

He is slow to the ball. Around the piles not at the bottom of them. 

Excellent way of describing him. Then there was Rozeboom made a lot of tackles, but they were often 5 yards past the LOS...

Edited 1 hour ago by MHS831

[strato]

2 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

Excellent way of describing him. Then there was Rozeboom made a lot of tackles, but they were often 5 yards past the LOS...

He made it easy for me One of those songs that writes itself. 

[SmokinwithWilly]

1 hour ago, pantherclaw said:

I have more trust and Faith in Morgan and Tillis than any front office in the history of this franchise.   I'm looking forward to seeing what this do this off season.  

Serious question. Based off what? Morgan has one of the worst drafts in franchise history followed by what appears to be one of the best. We also don't have a winning season under Dan yet. 

He "fixed" our oline by buying 2 guards making us the most expensive unit in the league. Unfortunately, it didn't really produce a lot of results and 2 years later needs major help. Our defense was the worst in nfl history, followed by better, but still below average. He gave 2 years to Dalton, who was already washed up. He's made a few good moves too like Coker as an udfa, we offered him the most $, and the Jackson trade. 

At the moment, I'd say his ability to build a team is unknown. He was also assistant during Fitterer's tenure. And for those saying he wasn't making any decisions, you don't get promoted to GM if you've never actually done the job. That'd be like Bill Gates PA getting promoted to CEO just because he was in the same room when he brought him coffee. Morgan was involved in those 3 years of incompetence. 

I still think the best GM we ever had was Bill Pollian. From expansion to playoffs in 2 years was quite a feat before he took off for Indy. Overall though, I'd say our GM bar is quite low to hurdle to be the best. 

[frankw]

1 minute ago, SmokinwithWilly said:

Serious question. Based off what? Morgan has one of the worst drafts in franchise history followed by what appears to be one of the best. We also don't have a winning season under Dan yet. 

He "fixed" our oline by buying 2 guards making us the most expensive unit in the league. Unfortunately, it didn't really produce a lot of results and 2 years later needs major help. Our defense was the worst in nfl history, followed by better, but still below average. He gave 2 years to Dalton, who was already washed up. He's made a few good moves too like Coker as an udfa, we offered him the most $, and the Jackson trade. 

At the moment, I'd say his ability to build a team is unknown. He was also assistant during Fitterer's tenure. And for those saying he wasn't making any decisions, you don't get promoted to GM if you've never actually done the job. That'd be like Bill Gates PA getting promoted to CEO just because he was in the same room when he brought him coffee. Morgan was involved in those 3 years of incompetence. 

I still think the best GM we ever had was Bill Pollian. From expansion to playoffs in 2 years was quite a feat before he took off for Indy. Overall though, I'd say our GM bar is quite low to hurdle to be the best. 

Yeah Morgan has had one awful draft and one solid draft. And his success to this point has largely hinged on him throwing obscene amounts of money at free agents. Which again literally anyone else could do that.

Anyways. Keep in mind that once upon a time a large majority of the huddle were once rabid Scott Fitterer fans. And I am not exaggerating. There were times where it seemed like folks were about ready to come to blows if anyone had the nerve to question Scott Fitterer's prowess as an evaluator of talent. Quite amusing looking back.

[mrcompletely11]

14 minutes ago, frankw said:

Yeah Morgan has had one awful draft and one solid draft. And his success to this point has largely hinged on him throwing obscene amounts of money at free agents. Which again literally anyone else could do that.

Anyways. Keep in mind that once upon a time a large majority of the huddle were once rabid Scott Fitterer fans. And I am not exaggerating. There were times where it seemed like folks were about ready to come to blows if anyone had the nerve to question Scott Fitterer's prowess as an evaluator of talent. Quite amusing looking back.

Speaking of which.  Where has mr scot been?

[strato]

5 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Speaking of which.  Where has mr scot been?

 

wow lol. I wasn’t a frequent visitor during all the Fitterer years but I remember him arguing for Gettleman at the mention of GM (didn’t even need to say his name), even after he was gone. 
 

Someone said he was kicked off. Suspended, banned… I missed whatever drama led to that. 

Edited 36 minutes ago by strato