This offseason is an important one for the Carolina Panthers. They showed some real signs of progress after Steve Wilks took over as interim head coach to finish out the 2022 season, going 6-6 with him at the helm. While he didn’t land the full-time head coaching job, the foundation has been laid going forward.
The No. 1 goal for the Panthers this offseason is to find a starting quarterback. It was the biggest issue during Matt Rhule’s tenure with the team as their inability to find an answer played a big part in his being fired after Week 5.
There have been some rumblings that the Panthers could use their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on one of the quarterback prospects. Currently, in the No. 9 spot, the Panthers likely aren’t in a position to select one of the top signal callers in this year’s class. In a perfect world, the quarterback position will be filled before the draft even gets underway.
Luckily for the Panthers, there are a few veterans available for them to pursue, one of them being Derek Carr. After declining to waive his no-trade clause to be dealt to the New Orleans Saints, Carr is likely heading toward free agency in a few days as the Las Vegas Raiders will release him before his contract becomes fully guaranteed.
The Saints have been heavily connected to Carr, which could certainly motivate the Panthers to get involved in the free-agent frenzy. Carr could swing the tide in the NFC South as he has been connected to every team in the division except the Atlanta Falcons as the Saints, Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all have quarterback needs.
In Carolina, Carr could be the missing piece to help get this team back on track. They have building blocks on each side of the ball but need until they find a quarterback capable of consistent production, they will be stuck in limbo.
Without Christian McCaffrey in the mix, the Panthers may not seem to be as attractive a landing spot as their divisional foes, but they do have a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver in the mix in D.J. Moore. Moore has surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau in three of his first five seasons in the NFL.
Terrace Marshall Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr. and Shi Smith offer an intriguing mix of wide receivers behind him as well. If the Panthers can lock Carr down, they may be able to attract an established player to play behind Moore as the No. 2 option as well.
In addition, the Panthers found some success as a power-running team even without McCaffrey in the fold. They finished the season 10th in rushing yards with D’Onta Foreman leading the way with 914 yards and five touchdowns.
Working with an offensive-minded head coach, Frank Reich, can also be a selling point for Carr. Both the Saints and Buccaneers employ defensive-minded head coaches, which could sway his decision toward selecting the Panthers as his next team.
