Late Wednesday evening, the Panthers made a move. The team signed former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller to a one-year deal, bolstering a weak tight end room that was the source of much debate on social media.
Waller may be far-removed from his consecutive 1000-yard seasons, but he still has some juice left in the tank. Waller registered receptions in eight of his nine game with Miami last season, also hauling in six touchdowns.
Ironically, his best performance was arguably against Carolina in the Panthers’ Week 5 victory over the Dolphins.
I’m not certain Waller will find his former Oakland/Las Vegas form again with the Panthers. To be frank, I’m not even sure if Waller will end up contributing much, if at all this season.
What I am sure of, however, is that the Panthers brass have had a good look at the tight end group all offseason, and decided that there needed to be an infusion of talent.
Whether the group is disappointed in the progress of players like Mitchell Evans or Ja’Tavion Sanders (now 3rd on the unofficial depth chart), or the team was always going to look at adding a tight end, the change has been made.
Now that Carolina has made a move, they have shown a willingness to address areas that need clear improvement. This is a good thing, in my opinion, indicating a willingness that may not have been there in year’s past.
The problem, however, is that this team still has a few position groups that could use a similar injection of competition.
Let’s take a look at a few positions Carolina could still add some external help before the regular season begins.
Edge Rusher
Following the season-ending injury to Nic Scourton, edge rusher is by far the position that needs help the most. As I mentioned in our review of the Hall of Fame Game, the Panthers reserve edge rushers were simply incapable of generating pressure on the Cardinals backups.
Combine this with the fact that the starters at that position, Pat Jones II and Jaelan Philips, aren’t exactly paragons of health. Edge rusher could become a massive problem in a hurry if the team doesn’t find adequate depth.
In August, no position group is going to have star free agents available, but luckily for Carolina, the market is robust with older veterans that could contribute in a rotational role.
Names like Haason Reddick and Yetur Gross-Matos are familiar with the Charlotte area, while other vets like Joey Bosa, Marcus Davenport, or Derek Barnett could also give a few snaps to the rotation.
Linebacker
Similar to the edge rusher position, Carolina added an extremely talented player in Devin Lloyd to be the guy in the linebacker room. After Lloyd, however, it gets pretty murky.
Currently, third-year linebacker Trevin Wallace is slated in as Lloyd’s running mate. This spot could change before the season starts, according to Dave Canales.
When your third-year Top 100 draft pick hasn’t taken the reins as a starter, it becomes a bit concerning.
After Wallace and Claudin Cherelus, whom he’s competing with to be the starter, the linebacker room is filled with undrafted free agents and 2026 7th round pick Jackson Kuwatch.
Also similar to the edge rusher market, there are a few names that could step in and quickly have a role with the team.
Bobby Okereke, Bobby Wagner, Germaine Pratt, and Logan Wilson could all reasonably provide good depth in the room. Fan-favorite Shaq Thompson is also currently a free agent after a year in Buffalo.
Despite all of the available names, this is probably the position I expect the least to be addressed. Edge rusher and the next group likely need more help, and Carolina likely can’t solve every problem at once.
Running Back*
This group may come as a surprise to some fans, considering the depth which the team deployed in the HOF Game and the incumbent players already on the team. However, Thursday morning, fans were hit with some tough news.
Starter Chuba Hubbard injured his hamstring and will likely miss the rest of the preseason.
If he’s expected to be back by Week One, adding a long-term rotation piece doesn’t seem likely. The Panthers probably could stand to add another back to handle some of the preseason, joint practice, and training camp practices, though.
With the hopeful emergence of Jonathon Brooks, and the utility that both Trevor Etienne and AJ Dillon bring, it’s hard to imagine needing a high-end Hubbard replacement in the interim.
Should Hubbard’s injury linger, I could see the team addressing it with a more prominent name. Alexander Mattison, Antonio Gibson, and Najee Harris are all players with good experience that could step in if the Panthers need to make a call.
NFL offseasons are always turbulent. One minute, a team might feel good about a certain position. The next, they might add a veteran tight end that just came out of retirement last year.
Whether or not Carolina chooses to address the aforementioned positions, it’s good to see a team that’s not only aware of their weaknesses, but is willing to to a chance to improve them.
If Waller can give this team 5-10 good routes every game, it’ll be more than what the Panthers got from the spot last year.