The Panthers’ 3 Biggest Roster Holes Entering OTAs and Who Can Fill Them
Carolina has supposedly won the offseason but still has a lot of work to do to fully patch this roster up.
The NFL Draft and free agency have come and gone, and your Carolina Panthers have officially been crowned offseason champs. Hang the banner! Dan Morgan and company have been hard at work putting together a roster that looks ready to defend the NFC South title.
Nearly every major hole entering the 2026 offseason was addressed. Carolina splashed on defense, bringing in Devin Lloyd at linebacker and Jaelan Phillips at EDGE to patch up an area that looked extremely thin entering free agency. On the offensive side of the ball, the Panthers leaned heavily into the draft, adding Monroe Freeling and Sam Hecht — two players who could realistically compete for starting jobs immediately on the offensive line — along with Chris Brazzell, who brings some much-needed juice to the receiver room.
Still, this roster is VERY far from perfect.
Even after a strong offseason, there are a few areas where Carolina could still improve heading into the season. With Organized Team Activities (OTAs) this week, we’re going to take a look at the biggest remaining holes to see where the team can improve, whether that be internal development or potentially adding a veteran piece before Week 1.
Tight End
I think we all expected this one, so let’s just get it out of the way.
Carolina’s tight end room has a group of players who each do certain things well, but the group still lacks a true centerpiece. Tommy Tremble remains the closest thing Carolina has to a complete tight end and is probably the player Bryce Young and the coaching staff trust most right now. He is never going to put up massive receiving numbers, but he brings physicality, blocking value, and the occasional splash play.
Behind him are J’Tavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans.
Sanders has been somewhat underwhelming since flashes during his 2024 rookie season. He is probably the most naturally versatile receiving option in the room, but the lack of physicality and inconsistent hands have become real concerns. Not exactly an ideal combination for a tight end.
Then it’s still a bit too early to make any definitive judgment on Evans, but there is at least a path for him to become a useful rotational player in the right role.
Collectively, this group combined for 75 receptions, 781 yards, and 4 touchdowns last season. That’s roughly equivalent to what Tyler Warren produced by himself during his rookie season for the Colts, which would explain why the national media spent months mocking a tight end to Carolina in the first round.
The lack of a true middle-of-the-field security blanket still feels noticeable. Giving Bryce Young a reliable target between the numbers could do a lot for both his development and the offense’s consistency.
Potential veteran targets could include names like T.J. Hockenson, Jonnu Smith, or Zach Ertz, but honestly? Carolina may be better off simply rolling with the young group and seeing if someone emerges.
Nickel
This was one of the more underrated needs on the roster entering the offseason.
I really wanted Carolina to add more physicality at nickel — ideally a true “big nickel” type who could help against the run while still holding up in coverage. The Panthers did draft Will Lee III in the fourth round out of Texas A&M, but Lee has primarily played boundary corner and doesn’t have much slot experience. That doesn’t mean he can’t transition inside, but it is probably unfair to assume that happens immediately in year one.
Right now, the Panthers are largely relying on Corey Thornton and Chau Smith-Wade, who handled most of the nickel duties last season.
Thornton actually flashed some intriguing potential before suffering a broken fibula, and it will be interesting to see how he develops once healthy. Still, relying on a player coming off that type of injury with limited NFL reps is risky.
Smith-Wade, meanwhile, has proven to be serviceable and has had some strong moments, but he still lacks the physical presence that could really elevate this defense.
The problem is that true impact nickel defenders are difficult to find. Most players who can cover and bring the physicality in the run game are already locked into major roles elsewhere.
If Carolina wanted to explore veteran additions, names like Kenny Moore or L’Jarius Sneed could make sense as experienced stopgaps, even if neither player is quite at their peak anymore.
Safety
The final obvious question mark remains at safety.
Every single draft cycle, I bang the drum that Carolina should find a way to land the best safety in the class. I fully understand and subscribe to the positional value arguments against it, but I just love the idea of having an elite playmaker roaming around the back end of the defense.
This year, Carolina never had a realistic shot at Caleb Downs and ultimately passed on Dillon Thieneman, which honestly did not bother me much. Instead, the Panthers selected Zakee Wheatley in the fifth round, a pick that has generated quite a bit of excitement among fans.
Although, if we are being honest, some of that excitement may simply come from the possibility of Nick Scott no longer starting at some point this season.
Wheatley does bring a skill set that Carolina has been lacking at the position. He is a bit more rangy than most of the current options and feels like a more natural pairing alongside Tre’Von Moehrig, who spends a bulk of his workday down in the box. That said, expecting a fifth-round rookie to immediately take over a starting role is probably unrealistic.
Lathan Ransom is another interesting name here. Most fans seem to view him primarily as depth behind Moehrig, but there is definitely a world where he develops into a legitimate starting-caliber player sooner rather than later. He became a real rotation player last season and started 6 games, so there’s definitely a world where Ransom is the most realistic option to start come week 1.
As for veteran additions? Honestly, this may just be a situation where Carolina needs to let the young players compete and hope somebody takes control of the job during camp. The options aren’t great; we’re probably looking at Donovan Wilson, Taylor Rapp, and Ifeatu Melifonwu.