The Panthers haven’t fully retooled their roster yet, but they have vastly improved their offensive line. Carolina re-signed offensive tackle Daryl Williams to a one-year deal and brought in a quality center in Matt Paradis on a three-year deal.
Another move that was essentially addition by subtraction was the release of offensive tackle Matt Kalil. The Panthers signed him in 2017 to a five-year, $55 million contract and he ended up spending the entire 2018 season on the injured reserve list after struggling his first season in Carolina. The team will end up saving over $7 million in cap space by releasing him. More importantly, this opens up Taylor Moton to play left tackle, as was the plan at the start of last season.
As a result of these moves, Pro Football Focus says the Panthers offensive line is one of the five most improved by free agency.
Cam Newton can rest easy. Paradis was a top-three-graded center before he went on IR last year and has been consistently one of the best centers in the NFL. . . To get him for under $10 million a year was a steal, and he’ll be a significant upgrade from the now retired Ryan Kalil.
The Panthers now have their replacement for the retired center Ryan Kalil, along with two offensive tackles that have at least one solid year on film. Carolina will also have a choice of solid offensive line prospects to chose from in the draft.
