The Carolina Panthers have a lot of work to do over the next few months, and the first step in turning this ship around involves making the right choices with their impending free agents. The Panthers currently have over $31 million in available cap space, but before they start adding talent from around the league, they first need to figure out which players from 2023 deserve to come back for another season. This is a crucial offseason for first-year General Manager Dan Morgan, as the future of first-overall pick Bryce Young hangs in the balance. Without a first-round pick, this team needs to find a way to build a strong foundation that can support the first-overall pick.
Carolina Panthers Free Agents: Who To Keep And Let Go
Keep
Brian Burns
The Panthers have had no shortage of blunders over the past few years, but letting Brian Burns walk would take the cake. The team reportedly turned down two first-round picks for his services at the 2022 trade deadline and opted to include D.J. Moore instead of Burns when they traded for the first-overall pick in 2023. While both moves were questionable (at best) at the time, they would be completely unforgivable if the Panthers let their star free agent leave for nothing. Burns holds all the leverage here, and both sides know it. Perhaps Carolina uses the franchise tag to keep him in town, or perhaps they just hand him a blank check. Either way, Burns is a key part of this team’s foundation, and it’s hard to imagine him going anywhere.
Frankie Luvu
While the Panthers should spend most of their free agent budget on offense, the fact of the matter is that they’ll need a good defense if they want to win games. Frankie Luvu is not as big of a name as Brian Burns, but he’s a good player who can be a key part of a rebuild. Last year, the linebacker finished the year with 5.5 sacks, 125 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, 11 quarterback hits, and a 78.5 PFF grade. Luvu can do a little bit of everything, is only entering his age-28 season, and is the type of guy you want to have in your organization.
Shaquill Griffin
Shaquill Griffin is not a star, and he’s not someone you want as your top cornerback. However, the Panthers free agent is a decent coverage player, and in today’s pass-happy NFL, he’s the type of depth guy you love to have on your roster. Teams are throwing the ball now more than ever, which means defenses need players who can hold up in coverage on every single down. Griffin isn’t capable of covering Justin Jefferson for a full game, but when used properly, he can help teams win games.
Let Go
C.J. Henderson
The Carolina Panthers took a low-risk, high-reward gamble when they traded Dan Arnold and a third-round pick for C.J. Henderson and a fifth-round selection. Unfortunately, that bet didn’t work out, as the former first-round pick never played up to his draft capital. According to Pro Football Focus, his 45.4 overall grade ranked 123rd out of 129 eligible players, and the eye test backs up this assessment. Chances are, some other team will sign the Panthers free agent and try to bring out the talent he showed in his college days, but Carolina should move on.
DJ Chark
The Carolina Panthers had the worst wide receivers in the league last year, and DJ Chark was a part of the problem. The free agent stayed mostly healthy for the Panthers but still failed to climb one of the worst depth charts in the league. In total, the wideout recorded just 35 receptions for 525 yards and five touchdowns while appearing in 15 games. He’s not a terrible player, but the Panthers should be looking for better options in free agency and the NFL Draft.
Jeremy Chinn
Jeremy Chinn is probably the hardest decision on this list of Panthers free agents. On the one hand, the homegrown talent showed promise as a rookie and built on that with a strong 2021. However, since then, injuries and ineffectiveness have made Chinn a risk that isn’t worth taking. Carolina regularly moves him around the front, but he’s at his best as a box safety. While run-first players like Chinn can have value in the right system, the Panthers need to prioritize guys who can hold up in coverage. Unfortunately, Chinn doesn’t fit that description, so he’ll probably have a better future with a different organization.
Main Photo: Bob Donnan – USA Today Sports
