It’s been six days since the NFL’s legal tampering period began ahead of 2020 free agency. Since then, some massive changes have taken place around the league. The Panthers have been near the epicenter of the seismic shifts, making a major move at quarterback and being active in signing low-cost free agents to fill out a depleted depth chart.
Here are our letter grades for their first week’s worth of moves.
Signing: QB Teddy Bridgewater
What the Panthers are doing with Cam Newton is both a bad look and probably bad for business, depending on how it plays out and if they can get anything in a trade. However, the signing of Bridgewater is a solid move if you separate it from the Newton situation. He’s familiar with Joe Brady’s scheme and is one of the most effective game-manager quarterbacks in the league. Bridgewater’s three-year, $63 million deal isn’t official yet, but when it is it’ll give them an above-average starting QB at a reasonable price.
Grade: B+
Trade: RG Trai Turner for LT Russell Okung
We have already panned this move pretty extensively, but our objections are worth repeating now that the trade is official. Turner may not be the same player he used to be. However, he was still only 26 years old and has a lot of good football ahead of him. While Okung finally gives the team a quality left tackle, he is five years older and comes with serious health concerns.
Grade: D
Signed: S Juston Burris
Thanks to some head-scratching decisions the Panthers once again have a serious need at the safety position (more on that later). Adding Burris should help in this regard, at least in theory. While he’s only started 11 games in his career, the plan is to have him start next to Tre Boston once the season begins. It’s a bit of a gamble, but if it pays off they’re getting a quality DB at just $8 million for two years.
Grade: B
Signed: WR/KR Pharoh Cooper
Coming into the new league year, Carolina needed more help at wide receiver than any other position group on offense. Marty Hurney has been busy, here. Adding Cooper not only gives the team a strong slot receiver, it could mean a significant improvement on special teams. Cooper is the proven return specialist that they’ve been missing for a while. This is the team’s best transaction thus far.
Grade: A+
Signing: WR Seth Roberts
Signing Roberts gives the Panthers some much-needed size at wide receiver. He’s 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds and should be able to help in the red zone, which was a major problem last season. However, Roberts has a relatively low catch rate and he’s only averaged 7.1 yards per target in his career. Terms of the deal have not yet been reported.
Grade: B-
Signing: WR Keith Kirkwood
Kirkwood is similar to Roberts in that he has plus size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds). The advantage he has is his previous experience working with offensive coordinator Joe Brady. He showed signs of promise in 2018, with 11 of his 13 catches moving the chains. That four teams were interested in signing Kirkwood shows how much potential he has.
Grade: B+
Released: S Eric Reid, S Colin Jones
Adding Cooper to the receiver corps and the special teams unit is the team’s best move. Releasing Reid is easily the worst. Not only did it punch a hole in the defensive backfield, the move actually made the 2020 cap situation worse, adding $5 million in dead money and saving just $3 million. Reid offered depth at safety and linebacker and letting Jones leave will hurt a special teams unit that was already in poor shape.
Grade: F
Signing: G John Miller
With Turner gone to the Chargers and Greg Van Roten signing with the Jets, the cupboard is pretty bare at guard. Enter Miller, a former third-round pick who has started a total of 60 games for the Bills and Bengals. He will likely wind up replacing Turner at right guard. At just $4 million, all he has to do is be passable in order to qualify as a steal. If not, it’s only a one-year deal.
Grade: A
Signing: TE Seth DeValve
This is the definition of a mediocre free agent move and it’s a good microcosm of the team’s situation in general. Signing DeValve probably won’t move the needle but he does offer depth at a position of need. Safety valve jokes aside, the Panthers will need at least a couple of them with Bridgewater starting at quarterback and Jarius Wright gone.
Grade: C+
Re-signed: FS Tre Boston
The Panthers may have screwed up letting both Eric Reid and Colin Jones go, but at least they got this part of the safety equation right. With this move, Boston finally cashes in with a multi-year deal after three seasons of high-level play at free safety for three different teams. Bringing him back on a three-year, $18 million deal is a legitimate bargain.
Grade: A
Signing: DE Stephen Weatherly
Carolina’s pass rush has predictably been hit hard by free agency. Mario Addison has agreed to terms with the Bills and Bruce Irvin is going back to the Seahawks, leaving 2019 first-round draft pick Brian Burns as the only obvious starter on the EDGE. Adding Weatherly on a two-year deal offers help to a rotation that’s full of potential but short on experience.
Grade: B
Released: OL Garrett McGhin
On the surface, this decision probably isn’t going to hurt the team much as McGhin only played seven snaps in 2019. However, the Panthers can’t afford to lose offensive line talent right now and they didn’t tender any of their backups. Losing McGhin just unnecessarily makes the offensive line situation even worse.
Grade: C
