The Panthers have picked up wide receiver Torrey Smith’s option for the 2019 season, according to a report by Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk.
In 119 career games, Smith has 319 catches for 5,141 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Smith is a fine receiver when he’s healthy and has championship experience, but this is not going to be a popular move because of the financial implications.
Smith is set to make $5 million this year, per Over the Cap. Carolina could have cut him without any dead money. Paying Smith that much in 2019 is not a great use of cap resources for a team that still has dire needs on both sides of the trenches and in the defensive backfield.
With Smith returning and Devin Funchess on his way out, we can safely assume the top four receivers on the team next season will be Smith, DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel and Jarius Wright.
There’s not going to be much depth behind those four, so adding a midround prospect in the draft is a good idea.
