2014 Season
The Carolina Panthers had a bit of an unexpected season. Many people expected them to repeat as NFC South champions, but not many people expected them to do it with a 7-8-1 record. Even with a below .500 record they were able to win a playoff game, therefore making their 2015 draft picks just a little worse. With a 7-8-1 record you would like as good of draft picks as possible.
2015 Free Agents
Greg Hardy, Defensive End: Hardy spent just about the entire season on the Commissioner's Exempt List due to some off-the-field issues. Although his case was dismissed in a jury trial, a judge had already found him guilty and there will most likely be punishments handed down from the league. Hardy will not be back in Carolina in 2015.
Byron Bell, Tackle: Out of all the tackles in the NFL who took at least 25% of their team’s offensive snaps, Bell had the second worst PFF (subscription) grade in the entire league. On a team whose offensive line had the worst pass blocking grade and 11th worst run blocking grade, they can’t afford to keep guys like Bell around.
Dwan Edwards, Defensive Tackle: Edwards didn’t have a spectacular season but he also didn’t have a horrible season. He’s a good defensive tackle that can add depth to a team’s defensive line without breaking the bank.
Colin Cole, Defensive Tackle: Cole is in the same category as Edwards; he didn’t have a great season and didn’t have an awful season. However, I don’t see the Panthers bringing back both of them. Cole will most likely be the odd man out.
Ed Dickson, Tight End: Last offseason the Panthers signed Dickson to a cheap one-year deal. Even if they can get the same kind of deal this offseason I don’t think they’d bring him back. His stay in Carolina was a bit underwhelming.
Fernando Velasco, Guard: This offensive line will, for the most part, get blown up this offseason. Velasco might be one of the few current players who stays. He wasn’t a total dumpster fire and might be able to provide the Panthers with cheap depth.
Brenton Bersin, Wide Receiver: The Panthers are not only thin at the offensive line but they’re also thin at wide receiver. Bersin came into the league as an undrafted free agent and the Panthers would be able to bring him back for a cheap one-year deal. Bersin is able to contribute on special teams and was even able to snag one touchdown reception this season.
2015 Cap Room: $11,810,425
Five-Biggest Need Areas
Offensive Line: This is, by far, their biggest need area. The Panthers ranked last in pass protection and 11th in run blocking according to PFF. This is an offensive line that almost completely needs to be rebuilt. It’s not going to be easy for the Panthers but it’s something that is absolutely necessary if they want to keep quarterback Cam Newton healthy and playing for a long time.
Wide Receiver: This position unit is in desperate need of help as well. Outside of Kelvin Benjamin, the next two leading wide receivers for the Panthers had a combined 69 catches for 876 yards. That’s abysmal. Benjamin is going to be developing as his career progresses and he needs another receiver on the roster to take coverage off of him during games.
Cornerbacks: The Panthers have two young outside cornerbacks who played well this season but still have some room to grow. If the Panthers were able to bring in a veteran free agent at this position to help the young guys progress then that would be extremely beneficial but they also need to make a draft pick or two at this position so they can be deeper at the position.
Strong Safety: The current strong safety on the roster is Roman Harper. While Harper is serviceable, he’s absolutely not the future at the position and didn’t even play particularly well this past season. This is a need they will most likely look at the draft to address.
Running Back: Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are still a fairly formidable duo in the backfield but neither one is getting younger or healthier. The Panthers need to start looking for their replacements. It’s going to be incredibly hard for one player to fill the collective shoes of these two running backs but they need to start working a running back in who can be the back of the future in Carolina.
Potential Offseason Breakout Star
The breakout star for this offseason for the Panthers is going to be cornerback Bené Benwikere. He started off the 2014 season a bit shaky but finished very strong with a combined PFF grade of 10.8 from Week 13 through the Wildcard Round of the playoffs. Benwikere had a solid rookie season but will really be looking to make a name for himself in his sophomore season.
2015 NFL Draft Selections
1st Round (25)
2nd Round (25)
3rd Round (25)
4th Round (25)
5th Round (25)
6th Round (25)
7th Round (25)
The Panthers certainly have their work cut out for them this offseason. With so many glaring needs a fairly low draft picks in each round it’s not going to be easy to address those needs via the draft. They also don’t have a whole lot of cap space so free agency isn’t going to be that easy for them either. I know the Panthers and their fans were rooting for them to sneak into the playoffs, but getting into the playoffs is going to come back and bite them this offseason.