Dan Morgan has brought in a plethora of new faces to his roster this offseason. Drastic alterations were anticipated after the Carolina Panthers put together one of their worst seasons in the franchise’s three-decade history. The new front-office leader removed deadwood and ensured there was future flexibility to be bigger players in free agency moving forward providing some progress arrives in 2024.
This was an important first step in Morgan’s long-term plans. Looking at how ruthless the general manager has been with no sentiment attached to the decision-making since his promotion, nobody should feel a level of comfort about their status aside from a few cornerstone pieces.
The level of urgency is evident as the Panthers look to emerge from rock bottom and back to competitiveness. It won’t be easy, but Morgan will be watching developments closely in the weeks and months ahead before deciding on further steps when the 2025 offseason arrives.
With this in mind, here are seven Panthers players who could be one and done with the team in 2024.
Nick Scott – Carolina Panthers S
The Carolina Panthers transitioned their investment to the offensive side of the football in their quest to ensure they get a true evaluation of quarterback Bryce Young’s capabilities next season. Ejiro Evero will have to make the best out of a bad situation, but the defensive coordinator got the opportunity to identify players he’s worked with previously to ensure complications are kept to a minimum.
Nick Scott was one such player, signing a one-year deal to potentially solidify the safety depth chart behind Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller. While Evero was happy enough with the acquisition, his production last season means the jury is still out as to whether or not he can be an asset.
Scott regressed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023 and saw his snap percentage diminish to 52 as a result. Anything less than making every rep count could see the Panthers go in a different direction next year.
K’Lavon Chaisson – Carolina Panthers OLB
The Carolina Panthers were short of reliable pass-rushing options even before losing Brian Burns, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Frankie Luvu this offseason. This has the scope to become a weak link quickly unless some young players finally start realizing their potential under Ejiro Evero’s defensive coaching staff.
Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum will likely start, but that’s not enough. The Panthers also signed K’Lavon Chaisson to potentially provide another explosive option. However, fans are treating this acquisition with a sense of pessimism after how the former first-round pick’s career unfolded with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Big things were expected of Chaisson coming out of LSU. He failed to reach these lofty heights, After five sacks in four seasons, the Jaguars moved him on swiftly when his rookie contract expired.
Defensive line coach Todd Wash knows Chaisson well from their time together in Jacksonville. Whether he can get a better tune out of the struggling edge rusher remains to be seen, but the Panthers can also cut ties with no financial ramifications next spring if improvements don’t arrive.
Dane Jackson – Carolina Panthers CB
Another position group causing huge trepidation among the fanbase is at cornerback. The Carolina Panthers traded Donte Jackson and let C.J. Henderson walk in free agency without much of a fight. Looking at their current depth, the need for Jaycee Horn to stay healthy for an entire campaign is glaring.
Dan Morgan is higher on Dane Jackson than most. He vouched for the player during his stint in the Buffalo Bills front office and wasted no time in securing his services when free agency began. While he’s been nothing more than a situational cornerback in recent years, he could be in line to start unless further reinforcements come on board before Week 1.
Jackson is dependable, but whether he’s up to the task of firmly establishing himself as an outside coverage king is another matter. If the former seventh-round selection fluffs his lines, a situation could emerge where the Panthers cut this experiment short after just one season.
Releasing Jackson ahead of time comes with $3.35 million in salary-cap savings and $2.5 million in dead money attached. Although Morgan is fond of the player, one couldn’t dismiss this possibility if standards aren’t met.
D.J. Wonnum – Carolina Panthers OLB
As previously mentioned, the Carolina Panthers have questions to answer across their edge rushing room in 2024. Trading Brian Burns was a necessary evil after Dan Morgan couldn’t salvage the franchise’s relationship with the player. If his current additions cannot fill the void and the former first-round pick flourishes with the New York Giants, this will go down as another grave error in judgment.
D.J. Wonnum is a risk the Panthers took in pursuit of strengthening the ranks in free agency. The player performed well opposite Danielle Hunter with the Minnesota Vikings, but the torn quad suffered last season means he’ll miss a considerable period of the offseason to potentially complicate matters.
Wonnum has some nice athletic traits, but there will be nobody like Hunter taking up the primary attention from opposing protection schemes in Carolina. How he can cope almost out on his own will be a key factor behind any success that comes his way.
The Panthers are high on Wonnum. They also hedged their bets with the structure of his new deal.
If Wonnum fails to adjust effectively, the Panthers can move on from the former fourth-round pick in 2025. This would save them $7.5 million and cost just $625,000 in dead money.
Yosh Nijman – Carolina Panthers OT
The Carolina Panthers are confident that Ikem Ekwonu can bounce back after going through severe turmoil during his NFL sophomore campaign. Having a steadier presence on the interior should help, but the former first-round pick didn’t look suited to zone-blocking concepts last season. Considering this is what Dave Canales also plans to adopt, the potential complications are obvious and concerning in equal measure.
Ekwonu must improve technically and will be striving to remind people why he was taken No. 6 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Panthers were wise to get a contingency plan to improve depth, with Yosh Nijman becoming the team’s swing tackle after joining in free agency from the Green Bay Packers.
Nijman turned out in 230 snaps for there Packers last season, giving up two sacks and conceding two penalties en route to a disappointing 61.7 grade from Pro Football Focus. While he’s an upgrade on their depth, the Panthers could be forced into a blindside overall if he and Ekwonu cannot raise their production next season.
Cutting Nijman after one season saves the Panthers around $3.67 million with $1.21 allocated to the dead money figure. Something that those in power will likely consider if the need for upgrades becomes concrete.
Jordan Fuller – Carolina Panthers S
Releasing Vonn Bell was arguably one of the more surprising departures from the Carolina Panthers this offseason. The veteran safety didn’t have the best fortune on the health front – missing four games as a result. However, his production when on the field was decent enough to potentially get a reprieve.
Dan Morgan and Ejiro Evero had other ideas. The defensive coordinator vouched for giving Jordan Fuller a shot instead, another player who spent time working with the respected coach on the Los Angeles Rams.
Fuller bounced back positively last season after going through injury issues in 2022. The former sixth-round pick attained 94 tackles and gave up a career-low 86.0 passer rating when targeted to further enhance his influence. He should form a productive backend partnership in Evero’s defense alongside Xavier Woods, which will be a major asset considering the concerns surrounding other areas of the secondary.
If Fuller cannot build on the positive momentum accumulated last time around, the Panthers will likely turn their attention to alternatives when Morgan gets set to make some tough choices once again in 2025.
Diontae Johnson – Carolina Panthers WR
Getting quarterback Bryce Young more help in the passing game was an absolute necessity for the Carolina Panthers this offseason. They began this quest by pulling off a daring trade to acquire Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Considering the compensation attached to this agreement, Johnson joined for pennies on the dollar given how influential he can become within Dave Canales’ scheme. His route-running and ability to separate should be a major asset. There’s also plenty of motivation from the wide receiver’s perspective looking at how his time with the Steelers concluded.
It seemed like Mike Tomlin couldn’t wait to get rid of Johnson after he reportedly became a bad apple in the locker room last season. That’s something to monitor in a different environment, but the early signs are promising from the veteran as business begins to pick up before the 2024 campaign.
This was a calculated risk by the Panthers. If Johnson grasps his second chance and thrives, they can offer him a new contract to keep him around in the coming years. If not, they can move on in 2025 once his deal expires.
The big point? It’s cost the Panthers almost nothing to find out one way or another. That couldn’t be said of the trade gambles made by previous regimes.
