Now that Panthers coach Matt Rhule has found his preferred coordinators, it’s time to start filling the team’s many roster holes.
Jadeveon Clowney was our first potential 2020 free agent target profile, but he’s a long shot to leave Seattle and will have plenty of suitors if he does hit the market. Our next profile is a much more realistic target: Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson, who played for Rhule at Temple.
Career stats
Anderson went undrafted after his college career. The Jets signed him in May of 2016 and he’s become one of their best under-the-radar moves in a long time. So far, he’s played in 62 games, posting 207 catches, 3,059 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
Pros
On paper it might look like receiver isn’t a need. However, if you spent some time digesting Joe Brady’s offense from his time at LSU, you probably saw a whole lot of three and four receiver sets. That means the Panthers will need to add at least one more weapon, preferably in the slot to replace Jarius Wright. Anderson can play the slot or on the outside, which would allow D.J. Moore to put in more time at that spot, where he’s thrived. Carolina also needs more size at the position. Anderson is 6-foot-3 with a wide catch radius and 4.34 speed. He’s also just 26 years old.
Cons
This is not a strong free agent class at wide receiver, as in Anderson is the only one worth considering not named A.J. Green. That might push his price-tag into an unreasonable range, especially for a WR3. By comparison, the 2020 NFL draft class is deep at receiver, so finding a quality option there shouldn’t be hard. Clemson’s Tee Higgins (who is 6-foot-4) just declared, for one. Anderson has also had some off-field issues.
Probability: Medium
There are at least half a dozen other positions that should be addressed before wide receiver. However, sometimes the fit is just right. Anderson’s previous experience with Rhule can’t be discounted and he offers a lot of what the team needs at the position.
